
1 ^^ r J' - » 




Class JIL^-AT 
Book C4g. 
Copyright }J°_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



in (J^uest of tlje 0iiatiit. 



In Quest of the Quaint 



BY 

ELIZA B. CHASE, 

Author of "Over the Border," Etc. 



illustrations bg ^¥ ^imrtter 

FROM WATER COLOR AND PENCIL SKETCHES 



"With an eye to see 
Life's sunniest side, and with a heart to take 
Its chances all as Godsends." 

—J. G. Whittier. 



Pf)ilat>elpl)ta 
FERRIS & LEACH 

29 North Seventh Street 
1902 



Cf8 



THmigRARV OF 
CONGRESS, 

T\yo Copies Recbveo 

AUG. IS 1902 

C0l>VIII0Hr ENTRY 

Cli-i-ci . It- 11^ 01- 

CLASS Ct- XXa Na 

3 cj 5 "Z- 4- 
COPY B. 



Copyright, 1902, by Ferris & Leach. 



^ 






^> 



ITn memorig of 

melen 

Companion in accncs OcecribeJ). 



CONTENTS. 



Legend, Mysterious Light 
Legend, The Treacherous 
Song, " Les Yeux }!leus " 



"MAREE-AH" (niu.itratlons) 

18 Dalhousie, N. B., and Restigouehe 

Friend 19 River .... 0pp. 

22 Les Trois Amis Islets, off Bon Ami 

Point, N. B. . . 0pp. 

Mt. Tracadiegache, from Charlo 

Bar, N. B. . . . 0pp. 

Mt. TracadiegSehe, from Casca- 

pedia River, P. Q. . 0pp. 



HERON ISLAND 



Legend, Buried Treasure . . 46 

Song, " Le Rosslgnol " ... 47 

Legend, The Burning Ship . . 53 

Legend, Glooscap and Mutchooseu 75 



The Bore of Fundy 
Song, " Aurai-je Nanette? " 
Legend, " Le Feu des Roussi ' 
Legend, Cap Desespoir . 



The Gate of Fossil Cove, N. B. 0pp. 
The Conspirators . . 0pp. 
General Romanoze (Profile Rock) 

Opp. 
The Laughing Faun (Profile Rock) 

Opp. 



78 



A SILHOUETTE 

94 Parrsboro Pier, Basin of Minas, 
. 105 Bay of P'undy . . Opp. 98 

. 106 Cape Split, Cap D'Or, Cape Sharp, 
. 110 Bay of Fundy . . Opp. 99 



DEMON AND PITY-US 



Legend, Katsepion .... 122 
Legend, Le Genie de I'lle Pere6 . 128 
Song, " Les Beaux Yeux " . . 138 



A Cultivateur's Barn 
The Old Woman of York Clilf 
A Wayside Watering Trough 
Le Rocher Perce, P. Q. . Opp, 
Islands of Bic Harbor . Opp, 
A French-Canadian Farm House 



120 
121 
123 
130 
131 
136 



'VEUVE CHAMPROMIS" 



Legend, Glooscap's Dogs 
Legend, The Titan's Bride 
Statistics of the Saguenay 



147 St. Cecile du Bic . . Opp. 144 
149 A French-Canadian Inn Opp. 145 
157 Oven in a French-Canadian Vil- 
lage 145 

A Habitau's Hay Cart . . .147 



viii Contents. 

"LAZY BOOLMONG" 

Song, "Les Perles et les Etoiles" 186 Isle aux Coudres, Mont St. An- 
Song, "Cecilia" . . . .187 toine, Cap Corbeau . . .164 

A Wayside Reminder . . . 170 
Cross in "Le Champ des Morts" 182 
Our Lady of the Clouds . . .183 
Antique Lamp 184 

ROCK FORT 

Song, "J'aiTrop Grand Peur des Spectators on the Terrace, Quebec 192 

Loups" 216 A Coaler 201 

Canadian Boat Song (Fr. and Eng. The Lions of Quebec . 0pp. 203 

words) 217 Belfry of Ursuliues Chapel, Quebec 206 

A Caleche 209 

Sabots 210 

" Souliers Sauvages " . . .211 

IN KEEWAYDIN'S REALM 

Legend, Neuawbozhoo . . . 231 Lake Huron Fishing Boats . . 229 
Legend, Manitoulin . . . 237 
Legend, Nipissing .... 241 



^^Maree-/7A" 



M (fiftucst of t\)t aHuaint. 



^' MAEEE-Ail." 

At 4 a.m., August — , 189 — , Mrs. Ellersley felt 
decidedly ruffled as she stood on a pier at the mouth 
of the Eestigouche River, surrounded by a group of 
young people, — ^her five nieces and a nephew of nine- 
teen, — ^whom she had rashly undertaken to chaperon 
in their summer vacation, in which the present long- 
talked-of excursion to Gaspe was to be the principal 
feature. These young people, when planning their 
holiday tour, had rejoiced at having secured this bul- 
wark of propriety, the least of whose virtues was that 
she was so unassertive that she could easily be over- 
ruled, and Mrs. Grundy thus be propitiated, while 
they virtually would have their own way. Blue, gray 
and irate were the countenances gazing out at the 
leaden-tinted water; the first hue caused by the chill- 
ing wind, the second by apprehension of the cheerless 
voyage in prospect, while the lack of amiability was 
owing to being summoned at " such an unearthly 
hour." 

Corporations have no souls, schedules are prepared 
with slight regard for the comfort of weak mortals; 
rising at an unreasonable hour and a hurried break- 
fast are not the best preparation for a voyage of six- 
teen to eighteen hours, and the promise of a better 
time-table for next year is poor consolation under 
such circumstances. 



4 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Amy and Mildred, being poor sailors, and haunted 
by recollections of former water trips which turned 
out disastrously for them, — so far as any pleasure was 
concerned, — had with difficulty been persuaded to 
join in this one, and only on the assertion of a resi- 
dent of the region that the northwest wind prevails 
on the Baie des Chaleurs, and that, so long as it sits 
in that quarter, calm seas may be promised with cer- 
tainty. 

Poor, placid Aunt Jemima, as the girls wickedly 
called Mrs. EUersley, — whose Christian name was 
Rebecca, — had been dragged to the pier mildly pro- 
testing, and questioning Jim who, being great on 
statistics, was known among the party as the Figure 
Head. 

" What time do you call it ? " 

" This village is rather old-fashioned and conserv- 
ative, and still runs itseK by local time, while the 
trains and boats go by standard time, the difference 
between local and standard time being three-quarters 
of an hour. The clock at our hotel indicates an hour 
half-way between the two, and my watch, not having 
been changed since we left home, does not agree with 
either ; therefore, we shall have to split the difference 
and take our choice." 

The girls remarked that they did not care for time, 
but were bound to have a good time anyhow, and 
" spite the weather." Just at that moment the trim 
steamer " Admiral " made up to the pier, and, as Jim 
marched on board, watch in hand, Meg, looking over 
his shoulder, exclaimed, " Why, Jim, your watch has 
stopped!" JSTothing daunted, however, he replied: 
" Well, I've told you what time it ought to be, and 
this is the best watch to be found in the United 
States, to say nothing of Canada." Mrs. EUersley 
learned that she was to be installed in the most com- 







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H<;<; 



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Maree-ah. 5 

modioiis stateroom, and the party, in more serene 
state of mind at being actually off, seated themselves 
on the forward deck. To the left, beyond the wide 
estuary of the river, a long point reaches out into the 
bay; it is mantled with vivid green, edged with red 
clay and rock where it dips into the crystal flood, 
making its peculiar Indian name appropriate, — Me- 
gouacha, " always red." Beyond this cape, blue in 
the distance, rise the two peaks, the Giant's Steps of 
Mount Tracadiegache. 

Ere long the village of Carleton, bright and cheery 
despite the gray day, appeared nestling at the foot of 
the grand mountain, which rises more than eighteen 
hundred feet above the sea, and is here revealed from 
base to summit. Meg, the enthusiastic, exclaimed, 
" Oh, don't those white houses with red roofs look de- 
lightfully foreign ? " Another remarked that it bore 
some resemblance to a Swiss hamlet, the proud moun- 
tain looming above; while another suggested that the 
broad piazzas and green blinds of other domiciles had 
a savor of the sunny South about them, reminding 
one of a planter's residence. 

Evidently the arrival of the steamer was an event 
of greatest importance, as the quaint country folk 
and people of all classes turned out en masse, and, as 
Jim remarked, " did the heavy standing round," dur- 
ing the deliberate unloading of a few pieces of 
freight, which the Figure Head enumerated: " Two 
barrels, one box, one basket, one kettle," — as these 
articles were set upon the wharf with a vast deal of 
ceremony and much tossing back and forth of French 
phrases from the pleasant voices of the " habitans."* 

* In the States the country folk object to the name " native " 
which summerers have bestowed upon them, as rather imply- 
ing contempt. In the South the " planter " thought himselt 
of much more importance than a mere farmer; so also with 



6 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Sue remarked, " One would think that the fate of a 
nation hung on these proceedings, judging by the 
solemn expression of the faces of that crowd." The 
big round kettle was claimed by a fresh, bright-look- 
ing girl, who, instead of denominating it " chaudron," 
demanded, " Donnez-moi la hombe ! " and very like a 
huge bomb or cannon-ball did it look. The appella- 
tion which has been invented by the Canadian French 
to designate this article, was approved by the tour- 
ists, who were ready to accept anything odd or hu- 
morous in their trip, which the gay party were bound 
to make a fascinatingly foreign frolic. 

This diversion had for a while partly absorbed the 
attention of the two girls, Amy and Mildred; who, at 
the time of departure, were so dubious that the oth- 
ers mischievously dubbed them the Croaker and the 
Doubter. But the vessel and its furnishings began 
to take on a singnilarly lively, not to say rollicking, 
aspect; the most dignified articles, armchairs and 
beaufets, seemed inclined to engage in a waltz, only 
prevented by the screws cruelly chaining them to the 
floor. Glasses on the sideboards jingled musically, 
lamps swung acrobatically, and locomotion became 
difficult. 

Mrs. Ellersley quietly slipped away to her state- 
room, meekly remarking that she thought she would 
take a nap. Amy, apparently becoming inverte- 
brate, threw herself in a heap on a sofa, the 
picture of despair; while Mildred sat bolt up- 
right beside her, with an air of unnatural sol- 

the " ranchman " of the Territories, probably. Those who en- 
gage in agricultural pursuits to any extent in Canada seem 
to prefer to be called " cultivateurs " instead of " f ermiers " ; 
and they designate as " habitans " those who take their pro- 
duce to the Quebec markets. Many old historians, both 
Fi'ench and English, spell the name, as above, Avith one t. 



Maree-ah. 7 

emnity and severity. Tke former looked white, 
the latter blue; they began to talk treason under the 
breath ; and thus signs of insubordination appeared in 
the company which had heretofore proved so har- 
monious; for, as the steamer steered across a wide 
arm of the bay, making for a distant cape, the full 
force of the sea was felt, and there was no doubt from 
what quarter the wind was blowing, " 'Twas just 
their luck," said those wretched tars, to have started 
out on this voyage of one hundred and eighty miles, 
when the wind had whisked around to the southeast, 
and was blowing with greater and greater vehemence, 
covering the bay with tossing whitecaps, which 
seemed to be marshaling and forming into angry 
surges, as the girls caught sight of them from the 
windows close at hand. The others, suspecting the 
state of affairs, advised removal to the central and 
steadier part of the boat; but persuasion was useless. 
Amy remarked : " The idea of a pleasure trip with no 
pleasure in it ! It's absurd ! I'd give anything to be 
on dry land ! " Mildred replied : " I cannot stand this 
all day; I shall be so worn out by the time we reach 
Gaspe that I cannot enjoy seeing the place." Amy, 
as if doubtfully throwing out a line, continued, 
" What's the use of making one's self wretched if 
one can escape from misery ? " Mildred seized it 
with avidity, jumped at the idea, and exclaimed, 
" Let's go ashore at the next station ! " although re- 
calling what they had been told about this shore, — 
that between Carleton and Gaspe there are only little 
French fishing villages, and the steamer does not 
touch at a wharf. ITevertheless, by that time de- 
spair sat upon the countenances of the two rebels, 
and desperation moved one to plunge headlong to the 
forward part of the boat to inquire the name of the 
next stopping-place. After the manner of these 



8 In Quest of the Quaint. 

French Acadians, the steward emphasized the last 
syllable in replying, " Maree-afe / " his native polite- 
ness barely preventing him from looking with con- 
tempt on such poor sailors, who announced, " Nous 
debarquons a Maria ! " 

Mrs. Ellersley vainly protested against this re- 
solve, but was reminded that she would have her 
hands quite full enough with those yet remaining 
under her charge; and her remonstrances lost force 
from the fact that she found it impossible by this 
time to hold up her head, and was obliged to main- 
tain a recumbent posture. So she comforted herself 
by the thought that Mildred, being a circumspect 
young person, might be relied on to keep Amy in 
check, that the party would be re-united two days 
hence, and that it would be hardly likely that any- 
thing untoward should occur in the intervening time. 

To the poor wretches it seemed that hours of mis- 
ery must have passed, though it was in reality but a 
very short time, ere the stopping of the machinery 
and ringing of a bell, as well as the shout of a deck 
hand announced, " Maree-ah ! " Down a perpen- 
dicular ladder, — a sort of flying trapeze, — climbed 
the two recalcitrants, with several others of the pas- 
sengers; and, imagining themselves unwieldy bales, 
were ignominiously dropped into a clumsy tub of a 
two-masted fishing smack, which plunged and pitched 
in the seething water, bumping and scraping the hull 
of the steamer ere it pushed off.* Those who had thus 
gained their end and desire in leaving the big vessel, 
however, were not by any means exultant. If ever 
two people felt utterly abject and despicable so did 
those base renegades, who also had to add to their 
gloom the tolerably earnest conviction that they were 

* This boat is known ae a " cobble " in this region. 



Maree-ah. 9 

going from the frying-pan into the fire. The boat 
lurched, rocked and danced in maddening manner; 
at each plunge a French Canadian girl grasped Mil- 
dred bj the arm, exclaiming, " Sainte Vierge ! Bon 
Dieu ! Dieu nous protege ! " no doubt calling on all 
the saints in the calendar under her breath, succumb- 
ing at last to mal-de-mer-, while Amy sat with 
clenched hands, set teeth and white face, sternly 
grasping her umbrella, too miserable to be frightened 
or to care much what happened next. The skipper 
shouted, " Point de danger," but Amy said, " You 
may be sure there is danger, or he wouldn't say 
that!" 

Among the passengers who were thus being con- 
veyed ashore was a French resident of the village of 
Maria, who showed kindly solicitude in making the 
ladies as comfortable as the awkward boat would ad- 
mit. Mildred's drooping spirits reviving somewhat 
on seeing that they were approaching terra firma, 
she ventured to question this gentleman, and learned 
that the picturesque settlement, stretching along 
shore and for a short distance inland, — ^twenty miles 
from their point of debarkation, — contains over five 
hundred families of French, Scotch and some Irish, 
generally well-to-do farmers; that the former no 
doubt suppose the name, like that of Montreal in its 
earliest history, was given in honor of " la Sainte 
Vierge," though in reality for the wife of a Governor- 
General of olden time. Mildred also learned that it 
would be quite possible for the ladies to find a com- 
fortable vehicle and competent charioteer to convey 
them back to Carleton, there to await the return of 
the " Admiral." 

After being pitched and flung over the water in 
this fashion for perhaps two miles, a clumsy, tossing 
rowboat was seen coming alongside, and to that the 



10 In Quest of the Quaint. 

passengers were transferred, it being too rough, for 
the sail boat to approach nearer the shore. 'Not even 
from this boat could thej land, however, for there 
was too high a surf running on the beach; and the 
next incident of this singular journey was seeing a 
two-wheeled cart driven into the sea until the water 
covered the hubs of the wheels, and into this the voy- 
agers climbed from the broad, low row-boat. 

The lugubrious visages of the girls now relaxed, 
for as they were thus driven ashore they were able at 
last to see some fun in this peculiar expedition, and 
even to enjoy the strange sensation as the long 
" rollers " swept under the cart in which the passen- 
gers stood, supporting themselves by posts at the cor- 
ners. Amy remarked, " I have keard that passengers 
are landed at Rio Janeiro in this manner, but never 
expected to experience such pleasure myself." At 
last they were on the solid earth, and " How good, 
and firm, and steady it feels ! " said Mildred. 
" What shall we do next ? " she queried, the other re- 
plying promptly, " Remain for the rest of my natural 
life ! " but at that moment Mons. Bandure,* their 
fellow-passenger, appeared, accompanied by a young 
man whom he introduced : " Ladies, allow me to pre- 
sent to you Monsieur George Reinhart, who will be 
happy to drive you back to Carleton, and " — clapping 
him on the shoulder with an air of good fellowship — 
he added, " I leave you in good hands ; there is not 
a better fellow on the coast," and' then made his 
adieux. 

The newcomer was on the sunny side of thirty, 
and seemed full of energy and life. He suggested 
that the travelers should rest at his house while he 
was harnessing another horse for their drive to Carle- 

* Bandure, an American plant of the Gentian family. 



Maree-ah. 11 

ton, and tliey were soon bowling gayly along the 
pretty beach road to a snug and neat domicile a mile 
or so beyond, where he informed them that he kept 
bachelor's hall. The canny Scotch housekeeper met 
them at the door, and, as she led them upstairs, said, 
" I am an old-f eshioned body mysel' ; I hae only bean 
here a short toime; but I wull do me best to mak ye 
comfortable, if ye'U rest a bit while the maister gets 
the double team ready." She was somewhat inclined 
to garrulity, and thus it leaked out that Mr. Eein- 
hart accommodated sportsmen, " now and again," 
when returning from the Cascapedia. The ship- 
wrecked mariners, as the girls jocosely styled them- 
selves, jumped at such a chance as this, and resolved 
that here they would stay. The host was not re- 
luctant, and then the storm-tossed waifs proceeded to 
make themselves at home, and were ready for any 
larks that might be found flitting about. 

Dinner was a dainty and tempting repast, the host 
himseK waiting upon his guests, and, in fact, prepar- 
ing some of the dishes, the housekeeper being a new 
hand who " had not quite learned the ropes yet," and 
he having gTeat skill in culinary arts from long expe- 
rience in the camp life of a sportsman. 

The two girls took a long walk down the shore, 
stopping now and then to air a little French in chat- 
ting with the children who came to the doors to see 
the strangers. Mildred stooped by an odd sliding 
gate, saying, " Baise moi ! " to a rosy curly-haired 
toddler, who was much amused at the idea of deliver- 
ing the salute through the bars. The mother said, 
" Vous etes de Quebec, n'est-ce pas ? " and was 
amazed at the reply, " N^on, nous sommes de Philadel- 
phie " ; exclaiming with astonishment, " Oh, oh, c'est 
■au loin d'ici ! " as if the travelers had come from the 
Tery antipodes. The pretty cat was discussed and 



12 In Quest of the Quaint. 

made to show off some funny tricks, and the woman 
spoke cordially of her neighbor, their host, whom she 
called " Monsieur Shorzhe," and declared to be " tres 
beau, un bel homme." " How his ears must burn ! " 
said Amy aside. 

Here the girls saw the first habitans' houses; at- 
tractively French and foreign-looking, almost invari- 
ably one story in height, picturesque and pleasing to 
the eye in the wide, curving sweep of roof, making 
broad eaves, which cast a becoming shade over the 
upper part of the domicile. In some cases the roof 
stretched out far enough to be supported by posts, 
forming a good piazza, or " galerie," as the people 
call it. " So different from the unmitigated angles 
of farm-houses in l^ew England," said one, scorn- 
fully, " where dwellings even in towns are modeled 
on the pattern of a packing-box, and topped with, the 
utterly incongruous Mansard roof." Huge fishing 
boats were moored in an inlet, or careened on the 
beach with their sails spread in carelessly graceful 
folds to dry, forming such bits as would delight an 
artist. 

As the strangers strolled along the road they were 
surprised to see approaching them gallant Mons. 
Bandure, who had landed when they did, and who 
said, " Ladies, Mrs. Macpherson would like to have 
you come up and see her garden." Once within the 
close and rather high fence which protected this 
demesne from too strong winds, they exclaimed with 
surprise and delight at the spectacle presented, — the 
marvelous wealth of color which, like a shattered 
rainbow, was spread before them. Rarest flowers 
were blooming in perfection; the air was laden with 
delicate perfumes; and, with the grand mountains 
circling the beautiful Bay, one might easily fancy 
himself transported to Mentone, Nice, or other famed 



Maree-dh. 13 

resort of sunny Italy. Even a professional horticul- 
turist would doff his hat and acknowledge himself 
distanced by the lady of the manor, who was sole 
care-taker of this exquisite and tasteful parterre. 

Amy certainly must have told tales out of school 
when the travelers were invited into the pretty par- 
lor and she chanced to stand by the fine piano; 
although she mischievously insinuated that 'twas only 
magnetism and intuition which impelled the daugh- 
ter of the house to ask Mildred to sing Scotch bal- 
lads. At the first strain of " What's a' the steer 
Kimmer ? " the host and the braw laddie, his manly 
son, drew nearer the instrument, while his wife and 
daughter seemed to hang breathless on the tones of 
the singer. Mr. Macpherson dropped into broad 
Scotch as he addressed the singer, exclaiming, 
" Hech ! me bonnie lassie, hoo ye tak me bok to the 
hame o' me byehude. Lilt mair, me lassie wi' the 
goldie locks, it warrums the cockles o' me harrt to 
hear ye ; an' the eecho o' those ballats hae been rinnin 
in me head these mony lang years; there's naething 
loike them in ony land." Full and clear rang the 
sweet voice in " Bonnie Dundee " and " Charlie is 
my Darling"; longing and beseeching in " Will ye 
no come back again ? " tender and pathetic in " Here's 
a health to ane I loe dear," with its sorrowful re- 
frain, " Jessie, Jessie." The audience were meta- 
phorically at her feet, and time slipped by unnoted 
until the sunset light warned the travelers that Mr. 
Reinhart might fear his guests had lost their way 
in this new and strange land. Then who so gallant as 
Mr. Archie, who had slipped quietly away and ap- 
peared at the door with his light buckboard, " at your 
service, ladies." After the girls had seated them- 
selves and promised to call again on the drive to 
Carleton, the young man leaped up at the back of the 



14 In Quest of the Quaint. 

vehicle, and, holding the reins above the ladies' heads, 
drove standing; and they were thus conveyed back to 
Mr. Reinhart's in true habitan fashion. 

Another home-like meal awaited them, excellently 
served on delicate quaint china. Amy held up her 
spoon, exclaiming, " Can I believe my eyes ? A 
crest ? Yes ; how interesting ! " The travelers 
amused themselves with speculations and surmisings 
about their jolly host, manufacturing offhand be- 
tween them a plot which would serve for a novel 
about this young man who, like him of the nursery 
rhyme, lived all by himself; and Mildred jumped at 
a conclusion in solution of the mystery, summing all 
up : " It is a case of ' crossed in hopeless,' I am con- 
vinced ! " 

In the long, lingering twilight of this northern 
shore, the girls sat upon the door-step under Balm-of- 
Gilead trees, the leather-like leaves flapping together 
with a sound as of pattering rain-drops; the Bay, 
which in the early morning — ^how long ago it seemed ! 
— ^was so angry and turbulent, was quieting rapidly, 
and appeared almost placid and radiant in the opal- 
escent tints of sunset. As Mildred endeavored to 
transfer to paper a semblance of some rainbow-hued 
salpegiossis from the Macpherson garden, softly hum- 
ming an air from " Lohengrin," Amy jumped up ex- 
citedly, almost upsetting the bouquet and box of 
colors, as she waved aloft the kitten (sent up by 
" Monsieur Shorzhe's " amiable voisine " pour 
amuser les Demoiselles "), and striking an exagger- 
atedly tragic attitude, cried, " Behold, he comes ! " 

Far away in the distance appeared a canoe gliding 
over the water, propelled by two men skillfully poling 
the pretty craft, which made not a sound as it ap- 
proached, with an air of mystery, and the romantic 
Amy exclaimed, " Isn't it just as if we had expected 



Maree-ah. 15 

some one, and so sat here waiting? Wlio can it be? 
Aren't you curious, Milly ? " Naturally that young 
woman could not surmise who the traveler might be, 
and would not admit that she had any curiosity, 
though she watched the approach with eager interest. 
The boat contained one passenger, and, to the sur- 
prise of the girls, the graceful craft was propelled 
directly towards their abiding place, and beached in 
front of the house. 

A tall man, whose every movement indicated 
energy and buoyant spirits, stepped ashore, gave 
some directions to the boatmen, doffed his Glengarry 
cap to the ladies, displaying thick, curling black hair, 
and rich, dark complexion, bronzed by " roughing 
it " in the backwoods, and with a hearty, " Well, 
George, my good fellow, here I am again, and how 
are you ? " stepped into the neat cottage, filling the es- 
tablishment with the breeziness and jollity of over- 
brimming health and life. With the air of a Ches- 
terfield Mr. Reinhart presented the guests to each 
other; and Mr. Murray Kennedy explained that, be- 
ing called home by business, he had left a fishing- 
party fitted out by Mr. Reinhart in the wilds of the 
Cascapedia; for their host had guides, canoes, good 
teams, and supplied fishing-parties in summer and 
hunting-expeditions in winter. 

The jolly host put on a comically deprecating air at 
Mr. Kennedy's commendation of his skill in such 
sports, and said that epicures consider the salmon of 
this river superior to that of the Eestigouche, and 
Lord Lome preferred this river to that. Then he 
told of a native who, meeting that Governor-General 
in these forest wilds while fishing, did not recognize 
him in his rough attire, — ^probably picturing that 
functionary as a high and mighty potentate gorgeous 
in gold lace, — -and remarked that he would not dis- 



16 In Quest of the Quaint. 

turb his pool, adding: " You keep to yous and we'll 
keep to wee&, and we won't have no trouble." " How 
refreshing it must have been to milord to meet such 
an untutored child of the wilderness," said Mildred. 

Continuing the conversation, Mr. Kennedy told 
them something of his experiences since he " came 
out " from Scotland, and, on Amy remarking that 
she would not have taken him for a native of that 
country, he laughingly said, as he ran his fingers 
through his dark curls, " Because I have not the typi- 
cal sandy locks ? Oh, I am what they call in my coun- 
try ' a black Scot ' " ; and in such spontaneous inter- 
change of thought the three travelers became quite 
en rapport. 

The gentleman who apeared so picturesquely on 
the scene was evidently an old stager, and knew all 
the ways of the house. As the night had grown cold, 
at his suggestion the party grouped themselves about 
the cavernous fireplace, where huge logs blazed. 
Monsieur Bandure also happened in, to listen to fish 
stories (authenticated, too !) ; and the ladies were in- 
fected with the contagion, longing to come next year 
to engage in such fascinating sport. The pocket case 
of flies was brought out for inspection, the ladies in- 
itiated into the mysteries of the different varieties 
with their bright feathers; the black and brown 
" Fairies," the " Silver Doctor," " White Admiral," 
" Kainbow," " Jock Scott," " Scarlet Ibis," and the 
" Black Dose," the latter effective in Oascapedia 
waters; and the gay fisherman presented some of 
those richest in color to the fair guests to stick in 
their hats as souvenirs. The girls were interested to 
learn that although there are more than one thousand 
styles of flies in the market, the oldest, manufactured 
in England more than a century ago, are still favor- 
ites, and, it seems, cannot be improved upon. The 



Maree-ah. 17 

^'Coachman," "Grizzly King," "Professor," 
" Brown Hackle " and " Black Gnat " flies are among 
these centenarious ones, and still hold the fisherman's 
affections. 

Though the cousins had not tried salmon fishing, 
in which sport many Canadian and English women 
have become experts, they heartily joined with the 
fisherman in deploring the destruction of the salmon 
through the dumping of sawdust into the rivers; and 
were interested to learn of the singular provision of 
nature for the fish when on its way to the spawning 
grounds. At that time they are provided with an 
extra amount of fat, which serves as a reserve for 
them to draw upon, as they abstain from other food; 
but it has been convincingly proved that the fine par- 
ticles of wood which they have swallowed lodge in 
the gullet and abdominal cavities, thus clogging them 
and instantly killing the fish. 

Remarking on the singular appropriateness of 
the caller's name, one of the cousins (who annually 
passed much time in 'New England) was reminded of 
the plant brought over by the Puritans, which clothes 
the moors around Salem, Massachusetts, with cloth of 
gold. This was known as " dyer's weed," — probably 
of the indigo family, — and is the plant whence the 
Plantagenets took their name (planta-genesta-tinc- 
tora), one wearing in his helmet a tuft of the yellow 
blossoms, which, he declared, " though the humblest 
weed, he would make the proudest emblem." It 
also runs riot among the hills of Pennsylvania mining 
regions ; and fashionable city florists brought it out at 
Easter, a few years since, as something new, rare and 
fine. 

Amy fancied that the lively disciple of the sedate 
Izaak gravitated always in Mildred's direction; that 
his remarks and narratives were addressed to her; 



18 In Quest of the Quaint. 

that his eyes turned most frequently to that graceful 
figiire seated in precisely the right location for the 
leaping flames to bring out most effectively the warm 
gold, with the quips and quirls, as she called them, of 
her hair, and to glow in the depths of her full blue 
eyes. " Ah, cousin, cousin, what a picture you are, 
and the best of it is that you do not know it," said 
that close observer to herself; and a propos of noth- 
ing, suddenly turned to the host with a query about 
his uncommon name and the quaint silver, eliciting 
the nonchalant reply, " Oh, yes, there's my cousin 
Robert down at Lunenberg has all the old records, 
but I don't care about them," and Mildred remarked 
in undertone to her cousin, " Secure in his own in- 
tegrity he can afford to smile at the ' claims of long 
descent.' " Then Amy begged Mr. Reinhart to re- 
late some legends of the Bay, and he readily com- 
plied, telling of 

THE MYSTEEIOTJS LIGHT OF CAP NOIR. 

For many years on Cap !Noir, the western point of 
Maria, a strange light was seen, dancing and moving 
about in the most unaccountable manner. At one 
moment it would rise like a column of fire into the 
air, at another time it would fall like a meteor; then 
it would seem to leap over the point and drop into 
the sea, afterwards appearing again in the same spot 
on the hillside. The habitans tell this story about it. 
In the time of the war for the possession of Canada, 
a French vessel, pursued by an English war ship, 
steered its course into the Bay, at this point, for 
refuge. A boat was lowered from the side of the 
richly-laden merchantman, and in this thirteen men 
swiftly rowed to the shore. Their object was to hide 
a chest of gold which they brought with them. On 
reaching the point they drew lots to see which of the 



Maree-ah. 19 

men should remain to guard the treasure. The one 
to whom the lot fell was forced to swear a solemn 
oath, by land and sea, by night and day, by the ruler 
of the nether world, that he would be faithful to the 
trust through life unless relieved of the charge by 
his returning comrades; and even after death would 
haimt the spot, should no one come to take his place. 
To secure the fulfillment of this vow, his wicked 
companions then and there put him to death, and 
buried him with the treasure. The ghostly light was 
supposed to be the spirit of the murdered man, and 
many persons who, tempted by the hope of recover- 
ing the treasure, ventured into the haunted spot, fled 
in terror, and told blood-curdling stories of the horri- 
ble phantoms and frightful sights which they had wit- 
nessed. The light is seen no longer; perhaps some 
adventurer bolder than the rest succeeded in discov- 
ering the gold and carrying it off, and thus gave rest 
to the unquiet spirit. 

Amy exclaimed, " What a deliciously spooky 
thing ! " and, like Oliver, begged for more. To grat- 
ify her Monsieur Bandure " took up the wondrous 
tale," and told the Indian legend of Cap Desespoir. 

THE TRBACHEKOUS FRIEND. 

In olden times there were two Indian villages of 
considerable importance in this region, one at Resti- 
gouche, the other at the Basin of Gaspe. The braves 
of these villages met once when following the chase, 
and afterwards smoked the calumet together. Then 
the Gaspesians gave an enchanting description of 
their country, and invited the Indians of Restigouche 
to come there and establish themselves, saying that it 
was a much better place to live. The following 
spring the chief of the Restigouche Indians set out 
with many canoes and came to Gaspe, where, after he 



20 In Quest of the Quaint. 

had examined everything, he said to his people, 
" Comrades, we would do as well to live at home; let 
US return " ; and they set out on their homeward jour- 
ney. When they arrived at the Cape, since called 
Desespoir, they camped, and the chief said to his 
people, " Continue on your way to Restigouche ; I 
will soon follow ; you will not be much in advance of 
me; it is not fitting that a chief should return empty- 
handed." All embarked except one, who begged that 
he might remain with his chief, who, without distrust, 
granted permission ; and a wig-wam was built near his 
own for the one he believed to be his friend. 

The huts were on the summit of the promontory. 
About a week after the building of the cabins at Cap 
Desespoir, a horrible tempest burst upon the land. 
When night came, to add to the horror of the storm 
its profound blackness, in the midst of the bellowing 
of the tempest the savage believed that he heard 
cries, and ventured out, though the storm was ap- 
palling, and the sea breaking in fury on the promon- 
tory. He ran to inform his sachem, and the chief 
immediately rushed to the sumit of the cape to carry 
succor to the drowning, to save some life if that were 
possible. 

The debris of a vessel was scattered on all sides, 
the crew drowning while raising lamentable cries, 
asking in vain help of God and man. While the 
chief, stupefied and powerless, gazed on this scene of 
despair, his companion, gliding behind him, pushed 
him into the abyss, where his cries mingled with 
those of the sailors of the wrecked vessel. After 
having assured himself that his victim had truly per- 
ished, the traitor ran to the wigwam of his chief, 
and, feigning deepest sorrow, " The Sagamore has 
been carried away by the sea," cried he, " and his 
last words were, ' Take care of my wife.' " " Ah ! 



Maree-ah. 21 

wretch ! " cried she, " it is thou who hast killed him, 
and after having taken away his life, thou wishest to 
have his wife ! " She rushed out, came to the shore, 
and in her despair, calling upon her husband, threw 
herself into the sea. 

ISTot long after the other Indians returned, search- 
ing for their chief. The traitor feigned sorrow, re- 
lated to them the story of the storm and shipwreck, 
telling them that their chief, wishing to save some 
one, had been carried away by a wave, and that his 
wife in frenzy had thrown herself into the same 
abyss. His comrades, however, did not half believe 
this story. Arrived at Restigouche they assembled 
the magicians, or medicine men, of their tribes, who, 
after deliberating, decided that the savage had killed 
his chief. Despite his protestations they bound the 
false one to the stake, and shot arrows at him until, 
after he had acknowledged his crime, death released 
him from the torture. 



During these recitals Amy had thrown herself on 
a hassock placed at Mildred's feet, and the cousins 
listened, dreamy-eyed and with flushed faces, to the 
weird tales. Some allusion was made to the Phan- 
tom Ship, but just at that point Mons. Bandure arose, 
and this naturally breaking up the circle, the three 
travelers wandered into one of the cozy parlors, 
where an antique instrument was discovered. It was 
revealed that Mr. Kennedy possessed a fine tenor 
voice, and duets were proposed. Among some yellow 
and worn music an old-fashioned and most senti- 
mental duet was found, which the two, in a spirit of 
mischief, warbled with extravagantly exaggerated 
emphasis, reducing Amy at first to utter limpness 
from convulsive merriment, and then electrifying her 



22 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



with tlie possibility of underlying earnestness on the 
part of one at least, 

A French song was demanded by that young 
woman as being appropriate to the region. There 
are no more enthusiastic admirers of azure orbs and 
golden locks than the French habitans, among whom 
blondes are extremely rare; so, as Mr. Kennedy com- 
plied, with an old chanson which he had learned 
from the guides and canoe men in his recent expedi- 
tion, what could have been more appropriate to the 
region, and the occasion, than " Les Yeux Bleus " ? 



LES YEUX BLEUS. * 



4- 



3= 



t^=r- 



1^=^ 



#— ^— ^- 



■M—^- 



1. Aimes les yeux noirs si tu le veux, (H^-las, ex- 

1. Eyes black as sloe might claim one' s love— Such love is 

2. La jeune brune est le vain-queur Lan - ce sur 
2. She would vanquish all, the gay brunette, Her eye-glance 



-^-^v 



r 



i=£ 



lit 



^r^ 



is - tence mouran-te!) Moi, je ne ch^- ris que les bleus. 
death in life I tell thee — As for myself, all others above, 
nous un trait de flamme; La blonde elle a bien plus d'ardeur 
fills the heart with dole; Charming is she, but o'er all yet 



S= 



^ 



=f=S 



-^— ^ 



-v^-v- 



A la vue douce et ch^ris - san - te. Tons les yeux noirs sont 
Eyes of pure azure have enchained me. Then let the black eyes 
P^ - nfetre jusqu' au fond de I'ame. Tous les yeux noirs sont 
Blon- dina's ardor strikes my soul. Then let the black eyes 



* Melody and words noted down by the writer as sung by a 
iFrench habitan's wife. 



Maree-ali. 



23 




de beaux yeux Moi Je ne ch^ris que les bleus Tous les yeux 
be for you, I will still cherish only the blue; Then let the 



■#-r- 



^^t #^^^ 



*=t=3 



1 b*— V- 

noirs sont de beaux yeux Moi je ne ch^ris que les bleus. 
black eyes be for you, I will still cherish on - ly the blue. 



3. Un bel ceil noir tout rempll d'eau, 
II ne dit pas ce qu'il faut dire, 
Un bel ceil bleu vaut cent foix 
niieux, 
Dans son regard on peut tout lire. 



3. Alluringly, though through forced 
dew 
Speaks then the black eye ; sets 
one dreaming: 
But ah, the blue is far more true. 
And one can never doubt its 
meaning. 



Un bel ceil noir dit fiferement, 

" Je yeux aimer et 6tre aim6." 
Un bel ceil bleu parle plus tendre- 
ment, 
"Aimez-moi, je vous aime le 
m6me." 



4. Arrogantly speaks the black eye, 
bold, 
" To love I deign, if you would 
love me." 
Ah, but the blue eyes my faith 
hold. 
My love returned, in them I see. 



Ce que me met au d§sespoir 
Vos yeux surpassent tous les 
autres, 
Pardonnez-moi si j'aime les noirs 
C'est que je n' avals pas vu les 
votres. 



5. If black eyes I admired, forgive ; 
— My former folly I deplore — 
Since seeing yours I only live, 
The true blue only I adore. 



KEFEAIN TO FIFTH VEESE. 

Ne craignez rien j'ai vu vos yeux, 
Je n'aimerai plus que les bleus. 

Surpassing all, those radiant orbs ; 
Their lovely light my soul absorbs. 



Melting and passionate the mellow tones rang out; 
there was no burlesquing of effect in that. It seemed 
to Amy that genuine meaning was thrown into the 
chanson by the debonair singer, and could it be that 
his glance fell on Mildred's face with extreme inter- 



24 In Quest of the Quaint. 

est, if not con amore? Mildred, serenely uncon- 
scious, then made a move implying that it was grow- 
ing late; Mr. Reinhart meeting them in the hall 
handed lighted candles to the girls, who ascended the 
stairs. Amy bade Good Mght; and as Mildred, 
standing on the first landing, looked over her shoul- 
der to do the same, Mr. Kennedy, gazing up at her, 
softly breathed Lionel's song: 

" Good-night, good-night, oh, fair one ! 
May thy dreams be calm and bright! 
Kind angels all watch o'er thee, 
Sleep, sweetly sleep, good-night ! " — 

as the ladies disappeared, and silence fell on Bach- 
elor's Hall. 

The next day being a fete, Monsieur Bandure 
called to offer his pew, inviting the strangers to at- 
tend service in the large white church, quite near. 
The walls of the building were ornamented with 
stucco, the woodwork of the chancel of oak and wal- 
nut combined, the pews unpainted pine; the light of 
the great windows was softened by curtains of wall- 
paper, resembling chintz. In the stalls within the 
chancel sat the choristers, — men on one side, boys on 
the other, — all in white gowns, and men in the organ 
loft sang in alternation with them. There were in- 
terludes on the organ, well played, but no solo sing- 
ing. In the early part of the mass a white table-cloth 
was hung over the chancel rail, and on it two large 
round loaves of bread were balanced, one above the 
other. Later these were removed, and then one of 
the choristers appeared, with a large melon-shaped 
basket, filled with inch-square pieces of bread; with 
this he passed up and down the aisles, and each mem- 
ber of the congregation took a piece. One of the 
acolytes entered the chancel, carrying bread in the 



Maree-ah. 25 

same manner to the choristers, in a vase-shaped bas- 
ket of Indian workmanship.* 

The cure delivered a good discourse, exhorting the 
people to attend mass, and to bring their children as 
soon as they had reached " Fage de raison, sept ans." 
Changing into English he spoke of " Eenjens " and 
" Airish " being absent, or only present once or twice 
a year, saying, " It is a command of the church, a 
sin to break it; if a sin to eat pork on Friday, how 
much more a sin to be absent from church." 

Although Mr. Kennedy had remarked that he was 
returning to his business, Amy slyly hinted that his 
affairs could not be very pressing, as he showed but 
slight solicitude about getting away; whereas he could 
have done so, had dire necessity compelled, by driv- 
ing to Carleton, crossing to Dalhousie, and taking the 
Intercolonial Railway, without awaiting the return 
of the steamer. In the afternoon the kindly host in- 
vited his guests to drive, and they were " nothing 
loth." The wind, having veered around to its old 
quarter, was blowing freshly from the northwest, 
making the atmosphere so clear that vision extended 
to seemingly incredible distance. At one point they 
passed over a bit of corduroy road, which Reinhart 
said the natives called " portash," i.e., " portage," a 
carry round a fall; and at another place he spoke of 
the " sugaries," indicating the hills covered with ma- 
ples, adjoining the mountain chain. Each of these 
valuable tracts of woodland contains from many hun- 
dred to several thousand trees, which are tapped in 
April, when it is warm enough for the sap to thaw at 
midday. 

* This ancient form of service is seen at the present time in 
France, and has been represented in noted works of famous 
modern painters. 



26 In Quest of the Quaint. 

The class in history, geography and statistics, as 
the lively trio dubbed themselves, also learned that 
one who works in a sugary is called a " sucrier," and 
that among French Acadians the youngest boy of a 
family is styled " le joculot," — a word not to be 
found in Academical French, but which might sig- 
nify tO' these people the joker, — ^this youthful scion 
also being known as " The Smeller of Sweetness " and 
" The Syrup-Eater." Then the tourists passed the 
tiny unpainted church of the Indian Reservation; an 
effective point in the pleasing picture of mountain, 
plain and sparkling Bay, although it looked as if it 
had just been taken from the box containing a child's 
toy village, and set down there. Mount Tracadie- 
gache, instead of exhibiting the two Giant's Steps, as 
at the mouth of the Restigouche, from this point of 
view appeared curiously broken and irregular, but- 
gained rather than lost in grandeur and beauty. 

The peculiar name caused comment and queries 
which residents and guide books seemed unable to 
answer. At the time of the banishment of the " Neu- 
trals " from ISTova Scotia, in 1755, some of the 
French Acadians located in other parts of the Prov- 
inces, three of their settlements being called Tra- 
cadie. It was most natural that they should desire 
to name their new homes in honor of the old, — 
Terre Acadie. In this case the significance, — Aca- 
dia's Stronghold, — ^is appropriate. When the sad 
and forlorn people drifted back after the dispersion, 
this grand guardian of the region dominated the 
scene as it does now. It typified to them a fort or 
refuge, a firm anchorage. Game from its fastnesses 
provided food; timber from its forests material for 
their dwellings; and to this day it is their beneficent 
friend, exerting benign influence on climate and 
crops. 



Maree-ah. 2T 

The party next approached the Cascapedia River 
and drove for several miles along its banks, through 
grand forests; and the girls tried to form some faint 
idea of the charms of wildwood life on salmon-fish- 
ing excursions, and at the hunting lodge, far in the 
wilds, of which the Scotchman had told them. This 
is the Grand Cascapedia, the Petit Cascapedia emp- 
tying into the Bay at l^ew Richmond, beyond Cap 
N^oir; and this river was ijamed by the Indians Kigi- 
capagiac; an appellation so evidently compounded of 
a sneezing cough that one of the company was confi- 
dent that the sponsor was afflicted with influenza. 
Another, affecting a shudder, remarked that many 
things improve with time, the modem musical title 
being decidedly preferable to the old tongue-tester. 

Later, a group on the front doorstep were enjoy- 
ing the gorgeous sunset tints, in which " celestial rosy 
red, love's proper hue," appropriately predominated 
(one young woman thought), and the voices of the 
two singers blended in song after song, while they 
watched the moon mounting from the mirror-like 
water, and soaring above Cap Marie, which lay black 
and weird in-its shining path. That same astute and 
far-sighted person also, feeling that the glamor of 
such surroundings must be irresistible, confident that 
a poeme d' amour was to be the outcome of all this, 
slyly watched certain persons with the air of one of 
long experience in such matters, and indulged in ro- 
mantic speculations, being herself, of course, invul- 
nerable. Mr, Kennedy had expected to take the 
steamer from this point in the morning, but on learn- 
ing that Mr. Reinhart would drive the ladies to Carle- 
ton, there to meet the boat, he heartily exclaimed, 
" Why, then, I'm with you ! " a decision which did 
not seem unpleasant news to the cousins. Bright and 
early, gay and fair, the quartette started off next 



28 In Quest of the Quaint. 

morning, Mr. Kennedy seating himself by Mildred, 
after helping Amy to a position beside the driver. A 
good-bye call at the home of the Macphersons re- 
sulted in an impromptu concert, in which tenor and 
soprano blended in pleasing harmonies, and the gay 
fisherman distinguished himseK. The ladies were 
presented with superb bouquets by the fair gardener 
as souvenirs of their " shipwreck " ; Amy declaring 
that these should make the others of their party 
" green with envy," and, as they started on again, 
that young woman merrily improvised — 

"And this a poet calls Shalore, 
That is, he makes it rhyme with ' more ' ; 
But we are sure that none shall err 
Who wend their way to Bay Chaleur." 

" Get along there, what do I feed ye fur ? Earn 
your oats ! " ejaculated Mr. George (the Only and 
Original) to his horses; and they did get along at a 
remarkable pace over the good road, needing no urg- 
ing, their own spirit seeming sufficient spur. The pas- 
senger on the front seat, admiring their glossy coats, 
was told by their master that he regularly gave them 
a bath in the salt water in an inlet near his house; 
that they enjoyed it, and required less grooming; while 
the habitans' horses, not thus made acquainted with 
old jSTeptune, displayed " coats as woolly as New- 
foundland dogs," he said. Though he would not in 
reality ridicule his worthy and honest French neigh- 
bors, — ^f or he was on the best of terms with them, and 
they were always ready to crack jokes with him, — 
he convulsed the strangers by mimicking a queer old 
habitan driving a decrepit horse; as, stooping forward 
and rounding his shoulders, he slapped the reins and 
called in cracked voice, " AUons mon chou, avance 
mon coeur; vite, vite, Marche done!" Knowing 
how cabbies and wagoners in the States swear at their 



Maree-ah. 29 

poor brutes, the girls were pleased to learn that little 
bad language is heard among the French Canadians, 
and one was reminded of a foreign student at college 
in the United States, who, remarking on the fact that 
less profanity is heard in America than abroad said, 
" In my country, for no reason, a man will make you 
a whole chain of swears." (This was probably his ren- 
dering of our expression, " A string of oaths.") Per- 
haps a tradition of the famous edict of Louis XIV., 
in 1666, has been handed down among the habitans. 
In that a series of punishments were ordered for pro- 
fanity, and after the seventh offence the tongue was 
to be cut out. 

Mr. Eeinhart amused the travelers by relating an 
incident of the earlier years of his life in the Province 
of Quebec, when he asked to drive a French girl to a 
point not very far distant. He answered: " All 
right ; get up " ; being obliged to hold his horse, so 
that he could not assist her into his vehicle. " And 
then I just let the horse go, — I was a roguish boy, — 
and you ought to have seen her, she was so fright- 
ened ; but she didn't know much English, and thought 
I knew no French, so she didn't know how to ask me 
to stop or go slower. At last she just grabbed me by 
the arm and said, ' Plentee get oop enoff ! ' making 
signs for me to stop and let her get out to walk the 
rest of the way." The young person on the front 
seat also learned that the mother and sister of their 
host did reside with him until the former died and 
the latter married and went to the States; but he, 
being fond of the place and the sort of Bohemian life, 
" preferred to remain in the P. Q.," his auditor atro- 
ciously retorting, " There's nothing p.q. liar in that." 

Approaching quite near Tracadiegache they discov- 
ered that the northern slope, or rather prolongation 
of the range, is a narrow-topped steep wall, with a 



30 In Quest of the Quaint. 

curious succession of reddish seams scoring the sides. 
These are timber chutes, down which, at an angle of 
sixty degrees, wood cut from the plateau above is sent 
whizzing with tremendous force. Reinhart said, 
" Once an ox hauling logs above, fell down one of 
those gullies, and they never found anything of him, 
not even so much as a hoof." 

On the outskirts of Carleton village appeared 
the " maison d'education " ; a dignified title for the 
school house to assume, as announced by the sign over 
the door. Next they passed the convent, then the 
pretty church, the cemetery adjoining, notable for 
its black and white iron and wooden crosses, which 
had a foreign look; some distance beyond, the sum- 
mer residence of the Governor-General, the whole 
hamlet in its neatness and quaintness suggesting a 
ISTorwegian village. By this time the steamboat was 
visible rounding Cap ISToir in the distance, and as Mr. 
Reinhart's horses " must be put up for a bit of a rest 
before the return drive," he made his adieux; and 
while Amy detained him for a few moments more 
giving messages for the Macpherson family, with 
merry promises to return next year and try salmon 
fishing, Mr. Kennedy and Mildred strolled along to- 
wards the end of the pier. 

During the latter part of the drive he had become 
silent and distrait, though the lady had not thought 
of it until this moment, for in truth she also had 
lapsed into quietude, absorbed in contemplation of 
the lovely pictures of the 'long shore drive; and liv- 
ing over in thought the novel experiences of the past 
few days. Though surrounded by chattering habitans 
they seemed to be for the first time alone, and felt 
a singular sense of isolation, particularly when, on 
reaching the end of the wharf, Mr. Kennedy opened 
his umbrella to shield them from the glare of the 



Maree-ah. 31 

sun, thereby shutting out from their eyes everything 
but the beautiful Bay, all scintillating sapphire. He 
was speaking of his enjoyment of the days at Maria, 
when he stopped suddenly and there was a momen- 
tary pause, as each felt a sense of strange embarrass- 
ment. Mildred rather hurriedly made some remark 
about the hospitable folk of their recent place of so- 
journ, their admiration for the kindly people of high 
and low degree who had seemed to join in good-na- 
tured rivalry in adding to the pleasures of the stran- 
gers within their Capes, and the refreshing sense of 
unconventionality in it all. He heartily responded, 
" Yes ; and you cannot imagine what a surprise it was 
to me to behold that vision on George's doorstep; 'tis 
a picture for memory to treasure," 

Leaning against one of the huge mooring spiles he 
continued impetuously: " You cannot realize how 
great was the fascination of womanly companionship 
after three weeks of rough camp life. Then your 
singing: — how your voice did soar, and seem to carry 
me along with it in irresistible magnetism ! " Look- 
ing out over the water, with far-reaching gaze, he ab- 
sently, softly sang, " Moi, je ne cheris que les bleus," 
and Mildred, who had listened as if spell-bound, seem- 
ing to come to herself, made a movement as if shrink- 
ing away, but the gentleman vehemently interrupted 
himself: — " There is something I must tell you. You 
may have thought, — ^my manner may have misled 
you; forgive me if it should be so. Do not turn 
away," he implored, and, obtusely stumbling on, con- 
tinued, " I must tell you that, although I have in our 
agreeable converse in these few days at yonder quaint 
village, given you an insight into much of my life, 
I have not alluded to one point," 

Miss Ainsworth had listened with curiously con- 
tradictory sensations warring in her brain; she 



32 In Quest of the Quaint. 

seemed about to speak at this juncture, and had been 
absently unfastening her glove; he in tactless man 
fashion plunged at the climax, continuing, " I did not 
pay the whole truth. I am married, and on my way 
to meet my wife at Gampbellton." Mildred, possibly 
slightly paler than usual, had removed her glove and 
laughed musically as she exclaimed, " So that, then, 
is your confession ? Well, I will give you confidence 
for confidence, and please absolve me from inten- 
tional misleading, as I believe you incapable of the 
same " ; adding, with a smile and frank glance of 
those azure eyes, " Such informal acquaintance as 
that brought about during these recent days makes 
one feel almost like an old friend, and I can speak 
thus plainly. The truth is," — and here she turned 
outward a gem on the third finger of her left hand, — 
" I * hae gien my promise true ' ; next week Mr. Hart- 
well comes on for his vacation, and in the winter we 
shall be married. I hope " — ^but just then the whis- 
tle of the approaching vessel broke in mercilessly; he 
took her hand, and, with the air of a knight of old, 
raised it to his lips in such respectful manner that she 
could not withdraw it. 

As Amy came forward to be ready to step on the 
gang-plank with them, he was closing his umbrella, 
his countenance unperturbed; and the attention of all 
was directed to the faces of the passengers crowding 
to the side of the boat's deck, in eager quest for their 
friends, who must have been so dismayed at the non- 
appearance of the truants when the "Admiral " 
called on Maria. Amy exclaimed, " Oh, what fun it 
will be to relate our adventures to the others," thus 
diverting Mildred's maze of thought, and as Jim with 
the girls crowded around their cousins, even Aunt 
Jemima was quite infected by their excitement. The 
re-united party swarmed together, all talking at once, 



Mavee-ah. 33 

the newcomers being struck dumb when Meg called 
out, " Well, how did you like Mr, Reinhart's estab- 
lishment ? " Sue put in her query, " Wasn't that a 
lovely garden ? " Martie added, " Will you go sal- 
mon fishing next year ? " and Mrs. EUersley anx- 
iously asked, " But who is Mr. Kennedy ? " 

That pleasing personage, who had stepped aside, 
was thus called to mind, and the voluble Amy pre- 
sented him to her Aunt, whose face grew unaccount- 
ably gTave and long, until, in the course of conversa- 
tion, the fact was casually mentioned that he was go- 
ing to meet his wife at Campbellton; a bit of infor- 
mation which caused Amy and her air-castle to col- 
lapse. The chaperon quite monopolized the atten- 
tion of the Scotchman, while the cousins explained 
to the two deserters how it was that they had been 
able to take the wind out of their sails by forestalling 
their story ; — that a woman from Maria, who came on 
board at that place, had been telling of the sensation 
which the two ladies made there, retailing all their 
doings to a friend whom she met on the steamboat, 
and thus the waifs found that their fame had gone 
abroad. 

Too soon the port was reached, and the party 
obliged to separate. Mr. Kennedy had a word for 
each, — hopes of meeting again and pleasant wishes, — 
until he came to Mildred, to whom he made his 
adieux with all due courtesy, although in silence. 
" They two, leal and true," could have in their hearts 
no disloyalty if a pleasant summer episode should be 
recalled, when to mental hearing floated the re 
frain — 



z^^z^ 



-O— — \| 






:^ 



^^-P- 



-v-^ 



-taBh 



Heron Island. 



HEEOIT ISLAND. 



The morning train on the I. 0. R. W., in medita- 
tive and desultory manner, was meandering along, — 
not more than one hour behind time, as yet, — and at 
long intervals, seemingly aroused from abstraction, 
it moderated its lagging pace at a scattered hamlet in 
the wilderness. Only long stretches of wildest, drear- 
iest lands were visible, and from these desolate tracts 
the forests had been stripped, leaving scenes of such 
loneliness as made one feel melancholy to contem- 
plate. Swamps appeared now and then, and, scat- 
tered about, like sentinels amid the desolation, were 
gaunt and crooked trees, whitened by frost and black- 
ened by fire; a ghastly and ghostly company.* This 
railway, which might have been cut through more 
directly from Maine, made a detour of over six hun- 
dred miles in order that the line should be all upon 
Canadian soil, in case of trouble with the United 
States. The fact that this line is supported by the 
Canadian government, and never paid a dividend, 
caused no surprise to two of the passengers; while 
most of the others, apparently having fallen into the 
same mood as the train, — time being no object to 
either, — were whiling away the hours in sleep. 



* Although New Brunswick has vast tracts of arable land, 
lumbering and ship-building were the main interests, until com- 
paratively recently, when farming is becoming successful; 
creameries and cheese factories have been established, and 
these products are exported to England. 



38 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Dr. Laurier, of Quebec, familiar with this long- 
drawn-out selvage of New Brunswick, appeared to be 
buried in his book; but when the train, with great 
clanking of chains, shrieking of wheels, and a jar that 
set the spinal marrow quivering, shuddered into si- 
lence, a sweet-toned voice caught his ear. His book 
was dropped as his eye was attracted by vast piles of 
lumber, evidently to be added to the freightage of 
the train. 

" It seems to me that a verse of the 64th Psalm 
would be applicable to this region : ' A man was fa- 
mous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick 
trees ' " ; said the gentle feminine tones ; to which an- 
other voice replied : " Yes, and you naturally are re- 
minded of something serious, while I, giddy thing, 
was just thinking, as we passed those little hamlets, 
of a squib in Fliegende Blatter, where a resident of a 
most prosaic settlement questions a visitor: ' Well, 
how do you like our town ? ' to which the stranger re- 
plies, ' Very nice plac€. Just consider that there are 
twenty-two trains on which you can leave it, daily.' " 

" Two without the twenty here, I should think," 
said the first speaker, " even if the inhabitants could 
muster up energy enough to think of getting away." 

Dr. Laurier, aroused by these voices, and finding 
the agreeable personalities thereunto belonging in 
rather close proximity, began, from force of habit, to 
diagnose this case, as he studied the two women oc- 
cupying the opposite seat. 

" Black, glossy hair, olive complexion, brilliant 
black eyes; black costume; evidently a widow, and 
the elder but livelier of the two. The other, fresh 
bright complexion, brown hair, soft ditto eyes, sedate 
manner; an interesting pair; refined in appearance; 
— Americans, without doubt, on a summer tour," he 
soliloquized. 



Heron Island. 39 

Just at this point the conductor strolled through 
the train, and sat down on the arm of Dr. Laurier's 
seat, saving, " Doctor, you was going to stop over at 
the new 'otel on the Bay, wasn't you ? " The gentle- 
man replied in the affirmative, whereupon he of the 
uniform and air of owning as well as running the 
train, continued: " Well, there's a gorgeous state of 
thing's there; regular shindy, don't ye know! It's 
busted up, clean gone to smash, servants cut in a 
body. Oh, there's bean a pretty mess there. You'll 
find yerseK rother in a box d'ye know ? Wot'll ye do 
about it — A ? " His discourse was curiously made up 
of Yankee slang and provincial pronunciation, inter- 
larded with the interjection " Eh ! " invariably pro- 
nounced like the first letter of the alphabet. 

" So ? You then speak of Chateau Carton ? " said 
Dr. Laurier, whose face had grown rather long at 
this information. Consternation was depicted also 
on the countenances of his fair neighbors, who looked 
at each other in dismay as they listened to the con- 
ductor's statements. That official noticed this, and 
suddenly addressed them: " Oh, you're billed for 
D'loosey too, and I was just a tellin' Dr. Lorry wot a 
high old time there is there, and now, me grashus, 
wot'll you do ? " enjoying the consternation of his 
auditors. Just then the train shook itself into action, 
moved on again, and the conductor sauntered off to 
the door of the car; while the travelers thus uncere- 
moniously introduced naturally dropped into conver- 
sation. Deciding that they would stop at Dalhousie, 
despite the unfavorable report from that pretty vil- 
lage, the gentleman, with the gallantry of his race, 
seemed quite as a matter of course to assume the atti- 
tude of cavalier and protector to the two ladies who 
had found themselves plunged into such a dilemma. 

In the course of conversation on various topics, his 



40 In Quest of the Quaint. 

politely-hinted surprise at their choice of locality for 
a summering elicited from Mrs. Allston the answer: 
" It must have been owing to our stay at Marblehead 
Neck last summer, and our studies of the old town of 
noted fishermen, whose favorite ground — if one 
might so speak of water — ^is the Bay Chaleur. Their 
old skippers' yarns were full of alluring bits and 
scraps of legend, in which the phantom ship and 
other ghostly spectacles figure largely." " But yes," 
said Doctor Laurier, " and have not I read a poem 
by your Huit-i-eh, of la Bale des Chaleurs, and a 
cruel Oapitaine who ' sailed away from a sinking 
ship? '" 

"Oh, you mean Skipper Ireson," said Mrs. Allston, 
who had not at once recognized the Quaker poet in 
Trench; " I can tell you a bit about that historical in- 
cident, as it was told to me by one who was born in 
the quaint town. The facts of the case, my inform- 
ant said, were, that Ireson's cruise had been most un- 
fortunate, so they would not have a one-fourth ' fare,' 
and a succession of unusually severe storms had al- 
most disheartened them. The Skipper was utterly 
worn out from hard and long-continued watches 
when the vessel in distress was sighted, yet gave or- 
ders to his men to change their course and steer for 
the other schooner, hoping to be of assistance by day- 
break. The men took advantage of the shipmaster 
at the change of the watch, and disregarded his in- 
junctions. After the heavy sleep of exhaustion, 
when Ireson came on deck, at dawn, he was amazed 
to discover that they were still on the homeward 
track, and the disabled vessel out of sight. 

" Arriving at the old town, it was discovered that 
fishermen reaching there in advance had reported the 
base desertion. To exculpate themselves, Ireson's 
men — who were ' a bad lot ' — threw the blame upon 



Heron Island. 41 

their master, and the people of the town, hot-headed 
and impulsive, wreaked summary vengeance. This 
their descendants bitterly regret, and would do any- 
thing in their power to wipe the stain from the mem- 
ory of the poor man who was so sorely wronged. My 
informant could remember seeing Ireson, not so very 
many years ago, prematurely aged, and bent as with a 
heavy burden, shrinking from his fellow-men as if 
branded with an ineffaceable stigma. His manner 
was gentle and quiet, his eyes always cast upon the 
ground, while his voice was low, with a melancholy 
cadence. In after years the truth of the story was 
revealed by the statements of Ireson's cabin boy, who 
had kept silence in fear of the vengeance of the skip- 
per's men. They at last had wandered off to other 
ports; but the crushed man never attempted to right 
himself, and no doubt his life was shortened by the 
effects of the terrible treatment which he had re- 
ceived." 

The gentle voice of Kate JSTewton took up the 
thread of the subject, saying: " No doubt our beloved 
poet, whose pen was ever fire-tipped in the cause of 
justice, had not heard this side of the story. He saw 
its dramatic aspect, and probably supposed that the 
hardy and hasty fisher-folk were only standing up 
fairly to right a wrong to their clan, in the punish- 
ment of the skipper. The people of Marblehead were 
always noted for their impulsiveness, and were just 
as ready to respond with almost extravagant acts of 
generosity when want or suffering appealed to them. 
It was fishermen from that quaint port who rowed 
the boat in which Washington crossed the Delaware 
in the Kevolutionary War, and the first company of 
volunteers recruited in the Rebellion were from that 
old City of the Sea." 

In the mellow light of sunset Chateau Carton, the 



42 In Quest of the Quaint. 

great unfinished barrack, put on an air of state, and 
one might say even wore an aspect of comfort and 
repose; — such was the glamor of that softened light 
when the weary travelers set foot within the bare 
walls of that hostelry on the uppermost rim of l^ew 
Brunswick, nearly three himdred miles north of St. 
John, their immediate decision being that nothing 
short of desperation and starvation should drive 
them from so beautiful a spot, 

A dreamland picture was presented to the view, so 
utterly restful and soothing one would naturally re- 
call it ever after in the tender light and lengthened 
shadows of the later hours of day. Apparently but 
a stone's throw from shore lay the three rocky and 
tree-crested islets, — Les Trois Amis, — every stone 
and branch upon them reflected in the mirror-like 
water, on which their symmetrical masses seemed to 
rest like that wonder of one's childhood, the floating 
islands of the East. Far away to the right stretched 
the great curve of the Bay, bounded by the low 
shores of I^ew Brunswick; in the distance Heron 
Island appeared like a cape reaching out as if to grasp 
in fraternal greeting Megouacha Point, on the shore 
cf the Province of Quebec, at the mouth of the Res- 
tigouche River. Then that grand mountain-guarded 
river ! — to say that it met the expectations of the 
travelers is saying a great deal, for in imagination 
they had been drawing marvelous pictures of that 
famous salmon stream of Canada. 

Fortunately the unromantic guests of the hotel 
were engaged in discussing the evening repast, and 
therefore invisible to the eyes of the new arrivals, 
and only the quiet tones of Kate Newton could be 
heard without any sense of jarring upon the exquisite 
picture. 

" I shall christen it Le Pays d'Apres-Midi.. The 



Heron Island. 43 

musically suggestive French names suit my fancy in 
this realm of romance." 

This poetically-inclined person was summarily 
dropped from her airy flights of fancy upon the hard 
facts of prose and stern realities when the ladies in- 
spected their room, which contained considerably 
less than absolute necessities; and Mrs. Allston, with 
a brave attempt at Mark Tapley-ish cheerfulness, 
enumerated on the fingers of one hand the pieces of 
furniture. Although even her bright face grew 
rather lugubrious on beholding the one blanket pro- 
vided for each bed, traveling shawls were merrily 
brought into use, and the fair dames bravely resolved 
to make the best of everything. 

Deliciously dreamy days slipped by, each more 
beautiful than its predecessor, and the sisters en- 
dured with fortitude the hardships inflicted by an 
amazingly curt bill of fare, and even of days in which 
one meal was skipped entirely, owing to a whim of 
the tyrant of the kitchen, who was a Tartar; but 
their equanimity could be explained by frequent 
foraging expeditions to the village on the part of the 
gallant Doctor Laurier, who enveloped them in an 
atmosphere of delicate attention. Fathers of fam- 
ilies, taking the hint from the Frenchman's success, 
also betook themselves to the village for articles of 
which there was sad dearth and dire need among their 
swarming urchins; the Quebec physician finally com- 
ing out in a blaze of glory after triumphantly secur- 
ing blankets from what he called the " magazines " 
of that pretty hamlet. Forays were made into un- 
occupied rooms, and articles of furniture appro- 
priated therefrom, and a spirit of Bohemianism per- 
vaded the establishment, the guests of which seemed 
determined to look upon the whole experience in the 
light of a huge joke. The railway company had 



44 In Quest of the Quaint. 

taken the house in hand, but though they offered free 
transport to any who wished to leave, found the 
guests singularly obtuse and in appreciative of such 
advantages; so it seemed that even unpoetic souls 
were witched by the charming spot. 

At five o'clock one morning the sisters were sud- 
denly aroused by the sound of angry voices beneath 
their windows. They listened without compunction 
to the tempest, expecting nothing less than a collapse 
of the whole concern in consequence of this hurri- 
cane, in which Gallic and Hibernian epithets were 
recklessly hurled back and forth. On cautiously ap- 
proaching the windows, to their startled eyes ap- 
peared the Queen of the Culinary, with arms 
a-kimbo, flushed face, unkempt hair and ponderous 
body fairly quivering with wrath; while from the 
door, literally fired out like a bomb from a catapult, 
flew the peppery little manager of the hostelry, who, 
although combining in his person the hot blood of 
Gaul -and Spain, was unable to cope with this one 
Celt, who routed him ignominiously. 

" Git out o' this in lis^'n a shake o' a cow's tail, ye 
miserable shpalpeen ! An' is it you, ye owdashus 
shpoilt image av a man, ye idjut, that lukes ez black 
as me shtove-poipe, ye purnishus gossoon, that wud 
be afther darin' to koom in me kitchen an' tell me 
my bizniz ? An' its meself that f urgits more nor ye 
iver knew in al' yer borrun dez, ye voile pickcher uv 
a fule that ye ar ! " Dr. Laurier, gazing from his 
window, mentally ejaculated, " Tartar emetic ! " as 
he saw the small, dark man shoot into the office, leav- 
ing behind him a blue streak of " Carambas, Carahos, 
Sacres, Diabolos," and other polyglot oaths. 

ISTot a very auspicious opening of the morning this, 
and when the ladies at breakfast learned that even 
the staff of life (traveling on a free pass and per bar- 



Heron Island. 45 

rel from Moncton) bad rebelled and grown sour tbat 
day, Mrs. Allston, determined to keep up a semblance 
at least of cbeerfulness, was ready for tbe occasion, 
and tbrew at her sister a Chinese proverb: " A good 
cook is the father of happy dreams, but nightmares 
sit on a poor table " ; to which bonnie Kate smilingly 
retorted with another : " The first cook was the father 
of civilization." Her sister continued: "No saint 
on an empty stomach," and Dr. Laurier capped this 
with : " Mieux la realite que I'incertitude," adding, 
" Mesdames, in my position of medical adviser, I sug- 
gest change of air and scene, and propose a day's trip 
to Megouacha Point as a refuge from this famine- 
threatened place. There you shall at least regale 
yourselves on milk, butter and eggs, with a possibility 
of honey to sweeten existence; and I have in Eossil 
Cove discovered a mariner, who has a boat the most 
fine possible." 

Such a prescription being irresistible, the physi- 
cian carried the day, and in brief space of time Skip- 
per Barstow, — " a grand old Triton," as Kate men- 
tally dubbed him, — assisted the ladies into his neat 
and saucy craft. The Bay, all steely blue, was cov- 
ered with flashing whitecaps; light clouds were 
hurrying across the sky, causing strange-shaped shad- 
ows to flit and chase each other over the hills, like 
belated spectres fleeing the light of day and hastening 
to some far-distant hiding-place. In royal sapphire 
the monarch Tracadiegache marshaled his forces, — 
the superb chain of mountains which follow the shore 
of the river and pursue their grand march into the 
interior, rolling in beautifully rounded outlines to 
the horizon; while even the tall chimney of the com- 
monplace saw-mill on the river brink gracefully 
waved its plume of smoke and became an interesting 
accent in the landscape. 



46 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Kate Newton, with an eye to the poetic and pic- 
turesque, was quite charmed with the Captain, as she 
called John Barstow, whose fine open countenance, 
although somewhat florid from a long seafaring life, 
was crowned and softened by thick snowy hair. She 
felt sure it was " a face with a story to tell," and that 
he was no common tar, while the lively and roman- 
tically-inclined Mrs. Allston began to wonder if here 
would not prove to be a mine of legend. Thereupon 
that wily person, making up to the old salt in the 
most engaging manner, inquired if there were not 
legends connected with the Bay and its capes and 
islands. John the hale and hearty, chivalrous as a 
knight of old, was naturally flattered, and fell into 
the trap readily. I^oticing that his fair passengers' 
gaze was directed towards Heron Island he began: 

" I wonder that you've not been out there. Old 
Tom JSTaboab, the Indian in the village, would have 
taken you in his canoe, if you got on the right side of 
him or found him in good humor. Old Tom's not 
very aged, but deaf's a post, and the boys of the vil- 
lage would tell ye you'd be obliged to shout till the 
top o' your head is like to come off to make him 
' comprestand,' as he says, what point you're steering 
for. Well, Tom says you must go to Heron Island 
at night, and alone, too; then after placing thirteen 
skulls in a circle, each with a burning candle in it, 
proceed to dig till you come to a big red hot box 
which is full of Spanish money. You mustn't speak, 
or touch it with anything but the hands; if you dis- 
obey such directions, Tom says, ' Old Eed Horn come 
up and catch you, and box go down, down, down to 
be lost ' ! " Kate remarked, " I've heard both of 
his voracity and veracity; his word is to be re-lied on 
because he lies and lies again. Probably it was not 
here that the expression ' Honest Injun ' originated." 



Heron Island. 



47 



The strangers saw why Megouacha wore such a 
vivid mantle of velvet, as it proved to be no ordinary 
turf, but waving grain, the whole farm being a model 
of skillful cultivation and management. During 
their call at the farmhouse, engaging Kate induced a 
youthful scion of the family to bring out a violin 
which he had made, — a very creditable piece of 
work, — and that beguiling young person eagerly ad- 
vised him to go on and attain perfection; remember- 
ing that almost anyone could manipulate a fiddle, but 
only one in thousands could play a violin. From 
this youthful musician she obtained a pleasing sou- 
venir of the visit, in an ancient French chanson, 
handed down from early settlers who had brought it 
from la belle France. 



LE ROSSIGNOL. 



M 



lE^ 



ts: 



-•— P- 



i£ 



:^— #- 



iEE?E3 



1. En - fin dessous I'om - brage Un tendre rossig- 
1 . At twilight, 'neath the shade so dark, There comes a nightin- 



m 



-Szi 



nol, Vient d' arreter son vole son vole. Tu peux entendre 
gale, A tender, tender nightingale. He rests his wing from 



m 



:^=t 



son ramagel Tu peux en - ten - dre son ramage, Mais 
wear-y fiight And sweetly warbles, ah, then hark! There 



i 



ft£ 



se 



i 



p p ^— ^ 



I I I I 



-P-(2^ 



^z^it 



ne fais pas de bruit de bruit L'oiseau s'en fuit s'en fuit. 
as the stars illume the night, His song floats to the vale. 



48 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



LE EOSSIGNOL. 

Enfin dessous I'ombrage 

Un tendre rossignol 

Vieut d'arreter son vol. 

Tu peux entendre son ramage 

Tu peux entendre son ramage 

Mais ne fais pas de bruit de bruit 

L'oiseau s'enfuit s'enfuit. 

II est vif et volage 

Si tu vas I'effarouclier 

(Le tendre tendre rossignol) 

Heureux ecoutez son ramage 

Heureux ecoutez son ramage 

Mais ne fais pas de bruit de bruit 

L'oiseau s'enfuit s'enfuit. 



Enfin dans I'esclavage 
Qui toujours fait mourir 
Crois-tu, crois-tu, veut le retenir ? 
Mais Dieu le sauve de sa cage 
Mais Dieu le sauve de sa cage 
Ses pas ont fait du bruit du bruit 
Libre oiseau s'enfuit s'enfuit. 



THE NIGHTINGALE. 

At twilight, 'neath the shade so dark, 

There comes a nightingale, 

A tender, tender nightingale. 

He rests his wing from weary flight 

And sweetly warbles. Ah, then, hark ! 

There, as the stars illume the night. 

His song floats to the vale. 

A timid little songster, this, 
(Far-flying nightingale, 
O tender, tender nightingale !) 
For should he hear a step, a sound. 
Ah, then, that sweet song thou would 

miss 
And in the wood he'd not be found 
He'd have soared far down the vale. 

O thinkest thou a cage would hold 
This sweetest nightingale? 
O tender, tender nightingale ! 
Pray then, beware, be not so bold ! 
The good God wills he should be free, 
He'd die in slav'ry e'en like thee. 
He'd ne'er come to our vale. 



The gallant doctor, as host of the day, offered next 
a drive to River ISTouvelle (famous for fine trout), 
and the women, to carry out the idea of being in a 
foreign country, declared that no vehicle would 
suffice for this but the two-wheeled cart (" char- 
ette ") of the French Canadian habitan, professing 
that this completed their bliss, although they found 
that in such conveyance conversation had a tendency 
to become decidedly interjectional, not to say ex- 
plosive, and the elegant gentleman confessed after- 
wards his certainty that one mile more of such 
travel would have utterly disintegrated the party. 

But the Bay; dimpling, sparkling, dancing witch- 
ingly ! Who could withstand its allurements, or re- 
main on shore while there was even a possibility of 
skimming away, free as a sea-gull, in that white sloop 
which curtsied and waltzed at its anchorage, waving 
its saucy pennon as if beckoning the strangers to 
" sail away for a year and a day," if they would ? 
The disciple of Esculapius mentally consigned his 



Heron Island. 49 

distant patients to — the care of other medicos — with- 
out a pang; seeming perfectly content that this kind 
of thing should continue indefinitely when the women 
declared that they must continue the day's pleasuring 
by water. 

The sloop sped away ecstatically, and Barstow had 
informed his passengers that he was heading for 
River Charlo, on the southern shore, when over the 
water came a merry shout, " Ship Ahoy ! " to which 
the hale tar answered, " Aye, aye; so there you are ? " 
But his actions did not seem to accord with his cheery 
tone, for, instead of slackening speed, he let out a 
reef in the mainsail, and his face wore an expression 
which Kate ISTewton found inscrutable. The trio of 
pleasure-seekers, turning in the direction whence the 
clear-toned hail came, discovered that they were fol- 
lowed by a skiff, which a young oarsman was pro- 
pelling with vigorous strokes. Barstow asked, " Do 
you think we can show him a clean pair of heels ? " 
and the tourists could not surmise whether he was 
annoyed or amused at the progress and prowess of the 
youth in their wake, who after all was certainly gain- 
ing on them. Whether this was in consequence of 
the oarsman's skill, or because Barstow was allowing 
the " Petrel " to be caught, the women could not 
tell; but shortly the small boat came alongside, and 
John in gruff tones called out, " Hold on there ! 
Don't you know that a stern chase is a long chase ? " 
to which a laugh was the merry rejoinder, when a 
young man, apparently twenty-three years of age, 
stepped on board, quickly attached the painter to a 
cleat, allowing the skiff to drop astern, touched his 
cap to the passengers, and held towards John a 
T>asket, saying, " You know who that's for," 

" C'est un gage d'amour, n'est-ce pas ? " said Dr. 
Xaurier under his breath to Kate, but the women 



50 In Quest of the Quaint. 

seemed struck dumb as they studied the newcomer^ 
who had thus unceremoniously boarded their vessel. 

Beneath a cap of true Glengarry style there 
beamed a frank and sprightly Saxon countenance, 
surmounting an athletic figure clad in navy blue, — 
correct in color for a nautical personage, only the 
nether garments were not loose sailor trousers, but 
the snug knee-breeches, black ribbed hose and low 
shoes of a wheelman. 

" Mr. Donald Campbell," announced Barstow, in 
off-hand manner of introduction, accompanied by a 
sweep of the arm which took in the newcomer and 
the passengers, the youth properly acknowledging the 
presentation by a bow to the ladies, and a cordial 
grasp of the hand which Dr. Laurier extended. The 
basket, of which John did not offer to relieve him, 
was of Indian workmanship and remarkably graceful 
shape; the edges curling outward, the handle slender 
and light, though strong. It was filled with large 
and luscious wild raspberries, heaped on fern leaves, 
whose plumy fronds fringed the edge of the dainty 
receptacle, and set off by admirable contrast the rich 
color of the fruit, while long sprays of the Mitchella 
vine entwined the handle. 

" II est vrai artiste," whispered Mrs. Allston to 
Dr. Laurier, while John Barstow conversed with the 
youth, though not yet offering to take the dainty 
gift. 

" And Avhat port had you cleared for, that you 
were not only out of hailing distance but hull down 
on the horizon when I was wanting you to show off 
Megouacha to these strangers ? " said John. The 
other explained that it was a fete day, the farm hands 
gone to the church, and on this account he himself 
had been obliged to take a horse to be shod, thereby 
missing the pleasure of doing the honors to the tour- 



Heron Island. 61 

ists, to whom lie made due apologies. Then coollj 
setting down the basket beside the indifferent seem- 
ing skipper, he loosened the rope, drew his skiff 
alongside, stepped into it, waving his cap in adieu, 
and was soon shooting over the water in the direc- 
tion of the verdant point in the distance. 

Even quiet Kate N^ewton assailed the seaman, 
" Captain, how could you resist him ? " her sister 
putting in a word to the same effect. Barstow 
laughed: " Oh, yes, that's the way with lovely 
woman, bless her! She can always tell the cut o' 
the jib at a glance, and not only what sort of a craft 
it is, but what dunnage, while we, poor mortal men, 
have to study over it all for no end of a time. Why, 
bless ye, I've known that chap, scooting off on his 
shingle yonder, since he talked Choctaw in his cradle. 
He's sound to the core, I believe you; no slatting or 
scrimping about his build, but A-number-one at 
Lloyds', and never fail. I just wanted to bother 
him a bit." When the women admired the berries 
he remarked, " There's leagues upon leagues of 'em 
over there, but I didn't give him that fact back again, 
for I know he's been tramping miles to get 'em if he's 
been to the smithy besides." 

" You are to take them to your wife, I suppose," 
suggested Mrs. AUston, whose womanly curiosity was 
aroused. 

" She has slept now this many a year in the 
church-yard at Dalhousie," answered the old salt, 
W'ith a sudden lengthening of countenance, as he gave 
one long look backward towards the pretty village; 
then he added, " If you want to know if this is a 
sloobrious climate you'll find a toomstun there (it's 
cracked across and has been mended) erected in 1812 
to one who died in the one hundredth year of her 
age. There's the light-keeper, too, of Bon Ami 



52 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Point yonder (there where the two stone faces stands 
guards and watches the river, ye know), he is eighty- 
six years of age, and has been sixty years or so at 
this place; he has a brother of eighty-fonr, besides, 
still hale 'and hearty, living at Carleton." 

Interesting statements these, of course, but the 
quiet little woman who always had an eye to the 
poetic side of life, aided and abetted her romantic 
sister by continuing the subject of the fruit, saying, 
" Then this is for your daughter ? " She was met 
with the response, " The one great grief of our lives, 
Jane's and mine, was that we had never a chick or a 
child to bless us." 

This was, to say the least, baffling; and the subject 
was dropped when Barstow carefully set the basket 
away in the cuddy. 

The lengthening shadows betokened waning day, 
and, imperceptibly to all but the watchful eye of the 
skipper, a change was coming over the scene. In the 
southwest, a veil of gray had been forming, gradually 
spreading its folds, blurring into neutral tint the for- 
merly vivid hues of sea and shore, as if iN'ature, in 
sudden impatience, dissatisfied with her effects in 
landscape-painting, would wipe out the picture. The 
voyagers lapsed into dreamy silence, each apparently 
wrapped in his own reflections, until the fair Mrs. 
Allston seemed to arouse from reverie, and, impelled 
by the thought that this would be just the most ap- 
propriate season for weird recital, edged round to 
the hale Jack Tar. Such were the effects of her 
blandishments that the round and rubicund John 
again fell into the snare so slyly laid, and was in- 
duced to reel off a yarn for the edification of the 
party. 

" And so, my lady," playfully said the gallant old 
fellow, " this is the reason you were warpin' your 



Heron Island. 53 

trim craft around to my lee side, is it ? Well, then, 
here goes ! " 

As that low-ljing strip of land in the distance had 
seemed to interest his party from the first, and as 
their course was now directed towards Heron Island, 
Barstow appropriately related a story connected 
therewith, a tale in which many of the French habi- 
tans and fisher-folk of the Bay believe implicitly even 
to this day; a tale which, herein divested of his nau- 
tical language, gives the legend of 

THE BURNING SHIP OF HERON ISLAND. 

Gaspar Cortereal, of Portugal, was very success- 
ful in trading with the Indians of Gaspe, bartering 
with them, by means of trinkets and trifles, for rich 
furs which he sold in his own country at great profit. 
This would have been well enough if he had been 
satisfied with it, but, one night, offering them a feast 
in his cabin, he lured on board his ship a great num- 
ber of the young Indians. When day broke the un- 
suspecting savages found themselves captives in the 
ship, which was then far out at sea; and on their ar- 
rival in Portugal the unfortunates were sold as slaves. 
The next year the treacherous adventurer thought to 
try this trick again, but did not quite dare venture 
into Gaspe Bay. He anchored at Heron Island, and 
there pursued his traffic with the natives, who flocked 
in numbers to the trading, pretending friendliness, 
while in reality plotting vengeance for the kidnap- 
ping of their fellows. One night the savages burst 
upon the foreigners, and put all to death with the ex- 
ception of Cortereal, who was bound to a rock at low 
tide; there, after suffering the utmost torture which 
the savages could invent, death came to him by inches 
as the tide rose around him, and his wretched life 
ended with the submerging of the rock. 



54: In Quest of the Quaint. 

Two years after, Cortereal's brotlier set out to 
searcli for his missing relative, and, sailing into the 
Bay, recognized the ship, still anchored at Heron 
Island; and was filled with exultation at the success 
of his enterprise, as he began to calculate the value 
of the cargo which he would carry away. But his 
joy was of short duration, for on reaching his broth- 
er's ship a troop of savages appeared, leaped to his 
vessel, and killed most of the crew, who were entirely 
unprepared for such an onslaught. Cortereal and 
some of his men succeeded in gaining the cabin which 
they barricaded, while arming themselves; the ship 
meanwhile, unknown to all, drifted out with the 
tide. 

Knowing there was no hope for them, the white 
men took a solemn oath that they would die together, 
and moreover would haunt the Bay for a thousand 
years afterwards ; then they scuttled the ship, set fire 
to the vessel, rushed from the cabin, taking their 
captors utterly by surprise, and a terrible battle en- 
sued. As the ship settled in the water and the fire 
burst through the deck the savages swarmed up the 
rigging until the ropes themselves were in a blaze, 
when, with a lurch and plunge, the ship sank beneath 
the waves. Only one Indian escaped to tell the tale; 
he, clinging to a piece of the wreck, drifted back with 
the tide. The Indians, frightened by the frequent ap- 
pearance of the blazing vessel, which rises and drifts 
about the Bay, especially on stormy nights, deserted 
the island and moved to the interior. 

An eerie and gruesome tale this, as the tourists 
agreed, even Dr. Laurier asserting that " it is suffi- 
cient to cause the skin crawl," which was supposed 
to be his version of the saying, " It makes the flesh 
creep." The romantic querist, assailing the sailor as 



Heron Island. 55 

to his belief in the same, was met by the non-commit- 
tal reply: " Did you ever see a tar who wasn't super- 
stitious ? " though a twinkle lurking in his eye might 
indicate that he had his o^vn opinion on the subject. 
He added : "" I can give you the actual words of an 
old French resident of Grand River, over there on 
the P. Q. shore, who said to me, ' So clearly has the 
burning ship been seen that the rigging could be 
plainly distinguished, and even objects resembling 
men climbing the ropes. This is strange but true; 
old and young have witnessed it ; even this summer it 
was seen near the shore of Mar-ee-a/?/ by several per- 
sons who watched it for hours, and finally saw it dis- 
appear in the distance.' Yes," continued the sailor, 
" an old pilot told me that he had been near enough 
to hear the clash of arms and to see the crew, and 
others have told me it has been seen even under the 
sea, still blazing like fury. The water can't put it 
out, you see, for old Scratch keeps feeding the 
flames, and they say the light shows above the ice in 
winter." 

The lively lady solemnly asserted her desire to 
behold the ghostly spectacle; and the tar, with an air 
of well-assumed horror, gazed upon her with widened 
eyes, declaring, " They say it is a certain sign of 
death or disaster; " but she nevertheless recklessly 
repeated her earnest wish to witness the unlucky ap- 
parition. 

Kate ]!^ewton, mildly protesting, began, " Martha, 
don't be — ," but her sister interrupted with the ex- 
clamation, " Oh, do see that queer ship near Heron 
Island ! " and at once implored Barstow to sail closer 
that they might inspect the strange craft, and he 
willingly brought them almost under the bows of the 
huge vessel lying at anchor. Such a singularly Rip 
Van Winkle-ish spectacle it proved; where could it 



56 In Quest of the Quaint. 

have been hidden for a century or so to come thus 
upon the vision like a tangible reminiscence of olden 
times? The hull, broad and low, was striped black 
and white like an antique war vessel; the curiously- 
carved stern slanted sharply inward; the bows were 
elaborately ornamented with scroll work, once gor- 
geous in gilding; the masts seemed prodigiously tall, 
as the strangers gazed from below, and a maze of 
cordage was outlined against the sky like mammoth 
spider webs. Kate quoted from Whittier: 

" The merchant ship lay idly there, in hard, clear lines on high, 
Tracing with rope and slender spar its network on the sky." 

The name " Aldegunde of Holmstrand " seemed 
appropriately quaint for the stranger to bear, and 
Barstow grew loquacious, volunteering the informa- 
tion that she was " probably an old merchantman now 
used for transporting timber, and no doubt on her 
way to Campbellton to load with deals." 

He added: " The oldest ships afloat are owned in 
ISTorway and engaged in the lumber trade; yes, if 
you'll believe it, there's a barque of London which 
was built in seventeen-sixty something, and is still 
traveling and trading. You ladies will be especially 
interested to know that she's American built, and no 
doubt you'll think she has a pretty name, ' True 
love,' " and John seemed to war^n to his subject, and 
continued, " Oh, they built ships in the right way in 
old times. ISTone o' your ' killdry ' lumber then; 
they made 'em to last. Now they build 'em by the 
mile, and chop 'em off in lengths to suit customers, 
as your newspaper ads. put it; why, the wood is so 
green that the coons haven't time to clear out before 
the timber goes into the vessels, and the seams begin 
to grin and yawn before the boat's off the stays, al- 
most; the coast is paved with the rotting bones of 



Heron Island. 5T 

such craft, for tliey go to pieces as easy as an ice- 
cream pyramid under a hot sun. Why, nowadays, 
such ship buikiers as those old fellows couldn't get 
custom, because they'd be too slow for these times, 
and couldn't build and launch a barkentine in a 
week; they'd have to go to makin' shoe-pegs, packing- 
boxes and step-ladders to get a living." Quite a tirade 
this for the jolly old chap, and the strangers could 
not tell how much of it was fun and how much earn- 
est, they meantime being engrossed in examining the 
huge mass looming above them. 

JsTothing escaped the bright eyes of Kate, who 
asked, " Is the ISTorwegian flag yellow ? " causing her 
companions to exclaim as their attention was thus 
called to the pennon, of such uncommon hue, flap- 
ping on one of the masts, which seemed to soar into 
the clouds. 

" Why, no," ejaculated John, " I had noticed that, 
and it means Hospital; there must be illness or trou- 
ble aboard; " whereupon Martha AUston, in excited 
whisper, exclaimed, " Can it mean yellow fever, or 
anything contagious ? " 

Dr. Laurier set her mind at rest on that point, 
avowing his intention of boarding the vessel, feeling 
that his profession entitled him at least to make in- 
quiries. Just at that moment the captain of the ship 
appeared, and entered into conference, recklessly 
shattering the Queen's English into bits in his expla- 
nation that his one passenger " de ay-gent off de loom- 
per kompny haf met veeth an axe-e-dent," and he 
had sent ashore to see if there was a physician at 
Dalhousie or Campbellton who would come to their 
assistance; that his man " haf joost retoorn, and zay 
dere is nefer eeder docktare or soorjin, und I am in 
zo mooch distrest ov mine, vile dat pore yoong shen- 
telman iss in sooch payen as never vas." 



58 In Quest of the Quaint. 

By this time the energetic Frenchman had 
mounted the ship's side like a cat, and disappeared 
from view with Captain Kniidsen. 

Of course the sympathies of the women were at 
once enlisted on behalf of the young foreigner, and it 
seemed an age before the doctor and captain appeared 
again. Then they both descended into the sloop to 
consult with Barstow, and to lay before him the 
problem. 

The captain, in his astonishing English, said, " Dis 
yoong man, Mr. Eric Grjerding, you zee haf von 
shtorm night treep-ed on de deck, vere a shtoopit zay- 
lor dit shpill zom oy-al, vich coze de shentelman to 
fall ofer a coy-el off ro-ap, unt his leek vas proke. 
IsTow my fadther vas a doaktare, unt I haf vonce be- 
gun to stoodie mit him; but I likes alvays better de 
zee, zo I gif oop de medcin, alldoe I haff learn how 
to set de bo-an. Zo dere vas nodings to do but I 
moost f eex de pore yoong man's leek, vor ve vas den 
hoonderts miles off dees blace. Veil, bart off mine 
carco iss blaster, vich I gets at Blaster Cofe in de 
Basin Minas, Bay Fundy; unt zo I sudden dinks dat 
is vot mine fadther use to do, he mak like trough unt 
fill mit blaster to case de broken leek, so dat I do." 

Dr. Laurier explained to the ladies that the plas- 
ter is gypsum or terra alba, which is valuable as a 
fertilizer, adding aside to Kate, " Your confectioners 
and grocers divert it to base uses, adulterating sugar 
and flour," but she was too much interested in the 
captain's story to resent the mischievous thrust, or to 
take up the cudgels in defence of her countrymen. 
Then the physican, possibly somewhat vain of his 
more fluent tongue, came to the rescue of the I^orse- 
man's limping English, saying to Barstow, " The 
Capitaine has done well; I should be proud of him 
as an associate in my profession ; the patient has done 



Heron Island. 59 

so well as possible under the circumstances; the pain 
which the young man suffers is from the knitting of 
the bone, and it could be subdued if the captain's 
medicine chest had greater variety of remedies. 

Mr. Yer I cannot speak the name ; it would give 

me lockjaw, — the patient, I mean, — must now have 
absolute quiet, as well as good country fare. I come 
now to ask you could we take him ashore in your 
boat ? " 

John unhesitatingly assented, as if this thing, 
which looked to the women like a herculean task, 
were an everyday occurrence. The hotel at Bon Ami 
Point was spoken of as a refuge for the invalid, but 
Dr. Laurier strenuously objected; whereupon then 
spake up John the generous, " Bring him to my 
house, and I'll guarantee that he'll have the best of 
care," overruling all objections, and turning aside, 
with a laugh or ironical word, the protestations of the 
party. The transfer was successfully and speedily 
made, though one might have supposed that it would 
have taxed the ingenuity of the whole ship's crew, 
and brought into requisition 

" Crow and lever and gaff and sling, 
Tongs and tackle and roller and ring" 

to hoist such a dead weight through the hatchway, 
and lower it into the sloop. There the women at 
once and naturally assumed the position of nurses, 
and assisted with their gentle cares; and Captain 
Kniidsen, vastly relieved in mind, assured the party 
that he should now proceed to Campbellton to load 
with lumber, and would come as soon as possible to 
Fossil Cove to see how the sufferer progressed. 

A subdued company it was returning in the 
" Petrel." The threatening aspect of the sky had 
vanished, the gray bank in the southwest had been 



60 In Quest of the Quaint, 

dispelled, probably by a distant thunder-storm, and 
the sun was almost setting when the sloop neared 
John's little wharf, beyond which his neat cottage and 
pretty garden could be seen in the pleasant, soft 
light. ]^ot far from the small pier the passengers 
descried the figure of a woman seated on the beach, 
her attention absorbed in something which she was 
moving and turning in singular fashion in her hands. 
To the amazement of the women and the physician, 
the sailor arose, and, taking a stone from his pocket, 
seemed to aim directly at this woman, causing Kate 
to scream with affright; but the stone fell in the 
water, near the bending figure, with a splash which 
must have spattered her. She suddenly turned her 
head, her face beamed in glad recognition, and Kate 
exclaimed, " What a lovely creature ! Truly she 
makes a perfect picture." 

This enthusiastic young person's attention was 
next arrested by further extraordinary conduct on 
the part of John. He had lowered the sail, and the 
boat now rested in glassy water, which reflected the 
roseate sunset sky; and the sailor stood by the mast, 
attitudinizing, in the most amazing manner. If the 
party had not through the day become convinced of 
his good sound common-sense, this performance on 
his part would have been sufficient proof that he had 
" gone clean daft." He bent his head, resting it upon 
his hands, then waved one hand in the direction of 
the lighthouse; then he moved both hands alternate- 
ly in a manner suggesting a dog's feet paddling in 
water, after which he seemed to draw invisible buck- 
ets of imperceptible water from an imaginary well; 
then he leaned forward, touching the deck with the 
tips of his fingers, and next suddenly became erect, 
pointing with one finger to his forehead. 

The girl on the beach during all this had stood 



Heron Island. 61 

motionless as a statue, in unconsciously bewitching 
pose. Her dark brown dress of heavy serge hung 
in full, graceful folds, unbroken by flounce or trim- 
ming; a wide-brimmed soft felt hat, dark red in color, 
had slipped back from her face, showing jet black 
hair and olive complexion, with warm color in the 
cheeks; and the eyes, — large, liquid and black as a 
sloe, — rested on Barstow with most intent gaze. 
With the right hand thrown up back of the ear, as if 
just catching the brim of her hat as it was about to 
slip off, and with the other hand slightly extended, 
she stood as if listening, though no sound could be 
heard but the lapping of the water against the piles 
and on the beach. Then, touching one finger to her 
lips, and gracefully bending her head, she turned and 
sped away, light and swift as a doe, in the direction 
of the lighthouse. 

The sailor turned with a satisfied smile to the 
women, whom he and the physician assisted in dis- 
embarking. The latter excused himself for not ac- 
companying them, as he must superintend and aid 
in the removal of the patient from the sloop to the 
sailor's cottage; suggesting, however, that if they 
would wait at the Arched Rock, the Gate of Fossil 
Cove, he would join them there, and escort them to 
supper at the hotel. 

Even one who was not especially interested could 
not fail to feel sufiicient desire to witness the transfer 
of the interesting sufferer. The women naturally 
did not withstand this opportunity, but stationed 
themselves under the great stone arch which the sea 
during unknown centuries had worn through the 
hard trap rock. 

Then came, hastening along the beach, four young 
habitans and two Indians; the former browned by ex- 
posure to sun and storm until they appeared as 



62 In Quest of the Quaint. 

swarthy as those whom they called " sauvages." Fine 
specimens of vigorous young manhood were they all; 
supple of limb, tense of muscle, ready to spring to in- 
stant action with a sense of exultation in their 
power. 

In the boat Barstow and the doctor arranged the 
ropes and supports attached to the hammock, while 
the young men on the small jetty stood alert to do 
their part, ready to obey instantly directions from the 
leaders, and to lift the prostrate figure, which lay 
helpless and heavy as a leaden image in the bottom of 
the boat. A few short words of command from the 
sailor, with a quiet direction from the physician, and 
the long hammock, resembling a gigantic chrysalis, 
was deftly raised to the wharf, then slung by its ropes 
from the shoulders of the six athletes, who, with pace 
so measured and regular that there could be no jar, 
conveyed the sufferer to the cottage, and disappeared 
within the door. 

When Dr. Laurier joined the waiting women he 
exclaimed with enthusiasm, " Positivement, the Bars- 
tow is a cheen-use; never should I have supposed this 
possible of accomplishment, yet now have I left the 
young men so comfortable as possible in bed; and he 
will without doubt recover with speed. Certainly he 
could not fail to do so, for he has a physique which 
would otherwise be a libel on j^ature. He is a glori- 
ous young Viking; I call him Mon Prince, he so much 
resembles Prince Oscar of Sweden, whom once I had 
the honor to meet." 

One of the women meantime had her thoughts and 
attention riveted on a tiny silhouette of a boat, in 
which she was certain that the gay oarsman Camp- 
bell was speeding across to Fossil Cove; for she, ro- 
mantic person, felt confident that he must have spe- 
cial interest in, and for, the mysterious gypsy, — the 



Heron Island. 63 

fair unknown with whom the skipper held such as- 
tounding communion. 

Fervently did Gaston Laurier bless that fortunate 
unfortunate who had been so comfortably deposited 
in the cottage of the retired ship-master; for in the 
stranger's mishap had he not found his own good for- 
tune ? — giving as it did valid excuse for him to remain 
longer in this delightsome spot, and in companionship 
which daily grew in charm, — and danger; although 
he wilfully shut his eyes to the latter fact. Frequent 
were his visits, devoted his attentions to the young 
foreigner, and what so natural as that the sisters 
should accompany him on these errands of mercy ? A 
distinct path was becoming worn in the field which 
the trio traversed in crossing Bon Ami Point (ap- 
propriate name !) to Fossil Cove; and Mr. Eric Gjerd- 
ing ought at the very least to have arisen and danced 
in evidence of speedy cure, as well as appreciation of 
such professional and feminine care. ISTo doubt he 
wished heartily enough to do so, though obliged to 
submit to imprisonment, and the doctor's jocosely- 
peremptory mandates, until E^ature, assisted by his 
remedies, had had time to repair damages. 

In the dainty neatness of John Barstow's cottage 
there were unmistakble evidences of a woman's pres- 
ence, which did not escape the bright eyes of Martha 
or the quiet notice of Kate; but the unknown dame 
or damsel remained strangely invisible, although at 
one of their calls with the doctor a piece of work 
was seen on the table in the cosy and tasteful parlor; 
at another a small glove had evidently been dropped 
on the floor by some one passing out hastily; and yet 
again a rocking-chair was discovered slowly oscillat- 
ing, as if the occupant thereof had just fled through 
the open door. Finally, one day the mysterious 
femininity was caught, seated in the deep embrasure 



64 In Quest of the Quaint. 

of one of the casement windows which let in a flood 
of sunlight through the two-foot-thick stone wall. 
Though evidently embarrassed, she gracefully ac- 
knowledged the introduction when the grand old 
Triton proudly announced, " Ladies, my daughter,"^^ 
and they recognized the young gypsy of the beach. 
His daughter? Yet he had distinctly told them 
on the day of their memorable excursion in the " Pe- 
trel " that he had never had a child ! There was 
some mystery about this, and what more fascinating 
to the feminine mind? The women were instantly 
taken by storm by this meeting with the beautiful 
girl, and would have entered into conversation with 
her but that she slipped out of the door, taking with 
her a basket from the table, making an apologetic 
and deprecating obeisance; the sisters meantime an- 
swering a rather hasty remark (on nothing in par- 
ticular), which was made by Barstow. 

In all these weeks, which had been passing so 
charmingly to them, the sisters had become well ac- 
quainted with the seafaring man, and on the disap- 
pearance of the girl they instantly assailed him, the 
doctor meanwhile having left the room to attend his 
patient. 

" Who is she ? " said Kate. 

" You said you had no child," added Martha. 

" Tell us about her," continued Kate. " She is 
lovely as an artist's dream or poet's vision ! " 

John's rugged countenance fairly beamed at this, 
and, taking a hasty glance in all directions from the 
window, he seated himself beside the fair dames and 
began : 

" So I must spin ye another yarn ? Or, like the 
children, you want me to tell you a story. Shall it 
begin, ' Once upon a time,' or ' Many years ago ' ? 
Well, it shall be hotli. There was a tremenjus storm 



Heron Island. 65 

in Bay Shaloor, the worst that ever was known bj the 
oldest inhabitant. Even in this sheltered cove the 
big rollers broke agin the Point, and the gate in the 
rock there was filled np to the top of its ruif by the 
sea. The lantern of the lighthouse at the mouth o' 
the river was smashed to flinders, houses in the vil- 
lage had their ruffs torn off like as if they was paste- 
board, and I knew there'd be wild work at sea, and 
many a good ship would lay her bones on this coast. 
'Twas bitter weather, but just at the edge o' day, 
when the sea was going down a bit, I went out in my 
row-boat, which is built after the life-boat fashion — 
you can study her pretty lines on the beach below 
there — I knew 'twas at the risk of my life, but I was 
fifteen years younger then, and 

" ' Salt as the sea wind, tough and strong 
As an old cask from Labrador,' 

as one of your poets puts it. Yes, and I thought 
maybe I might help someone, though I couldn't make 
out how any craft could have lived in such a sea as 
had been running. To be sure there was a wreck; 
some ship had gone to pieces, all stove into kindlings, 
so there wasn't enough of it left to show what it had 
been; no name nor nothing, and even the bodies of 
the poor sailors or passengers must have been carried 
out to sea, for there was the most 'mazing tide, — 
there never was one like it before or since, leastways 
to the best of my reckoning, or as far as I can find 
out. But in an eddy between the islands I found 
the queerest craft that ever was seen since Moses was 
launched; it was as if the waves were playing battle- 
dore and shuttlecock, this strange thing being tossed 
about by 'em, and I caught it with my boat hook. 
There was a full dozen curious straw mats rolled 
tight and lashed together, with another mat lying 



66 In Quest of the Quaint. 

atop; and in that, all wrapped in tarpaulins and 
blankets, was a child of six years of age. It was 
that blue and ghastly that I tho't it dead; but a 
little twitch of a finger made me think p'raps there 
was a spark o' life yet, and I just laid to my oars and 
put for the shore with might and main. I tell you I 
just made the ' Bunsby ' walk, and in less time than 
I'm telling ye I had that chick beside the fire. Well, 
I had to fight for it the whole livelong day, toastin' 
blankets and roastin' bricks to get a bit o' warmth 
into the tiny mite, and rubbin' its little body with 
hot spirits ; I never stopped for bite or sup myself till 
night came, and then that bit o' humanity opened its 
eyes and looked at me, like two stars peepin' out in 
a night o' murk. Then I tell ye I could just have sat 
down and cried, I was that happy ! 

" Well, it was only a short time till the little thing 
recovered, and Mrs. Campbell, yonder there at 
Megouacha, made the purtiest cloze fur it; and they 
all was in love with it, and it grew to be the sweet- 
est cherub you ever laid eyes on. But the shock, or 
exposure, or fright, or all together, made that blessed 
creeter what you call a mute. She hadn't lost her 
hearing entirely, and if she don't speak with her eyes 
and talk with every look of her bright face, then I'm 
mistaken. I've often thought she must be of Spanish 
blood, — ^I've been to Spain and Portegal and lots 
others of those queer countries in my day, — but I've 
never been able to find out anything about the ship, 
or about the child or her people. 

" Well, the village was wild about ' Barstow's 
Baby,' as they called her, and Mrs. Campbell begged 
right hard to keep her; but she'd walked right into 
me heart, and I couldn't let her go; I vowed I'd 'dopt 
her an' bless old ITep into the bargain for sending her 
to me, though," he added reverently, " God knows she 



Heron Island. 67 

was Heaven-sent, and has brought me the greatest joy 
of my life ! Then young Campbell's father asked 
me could he christen her, and I said I had a name a'- 
ready, a name well known to sailors and suited to the 
way I got her, and that was ^Jetsam,'' and I said her 
glossy black hair suited it too. But he laughed, and 
said she'd be ashamed of such an outlandish one as 
that and so I gave in, after a fashion, when he (being 
Scotch, you know) chose lona, and I tho't that 
sounded rather pretty, an' I 'greed to it. But I put 
the other name in the middle, so she's lona Jetsam 
Barstow, and I often call her Jetty for short. Well, 
that saucy boy who was chasing us in the ' Petrel ' 
t'other day, was near her age, — only five years older ; 
and you just ought to have seen how those little trots 
took to each other, an' they've been just that dewoted 
ever since. Bless you, he taught her to read by 
scratchin' on the sand with a stick, and to write on 
birch bark with the ink of the squid he found on the 
beach after storms; so he was makin' play of her 
schoolin' all the time, and she learned so fast, 'twas 
'mazin' indeed. What with her own nateral quick- 
ness, an' the Campbells and me helping, by speakin' 
slow an' keerful, she learned to tell what we were 
sayin', much of the time, by watchin' our lips. As 
to books, why she's a cormyrant, and has been eena- 
most through Mr. Campbell's library (an' I have too), 
she sitting on my knee and I reading over her 
shoulder. 

" Well, in some of my travels, before she came to 
me, I went once to a school at a place they call Leep- 
sick in Yourop where they teach mutes to talk (and 
His wonderful, I believe you) ; so by what I could re- 
member o' their ways o' showin' 'em, an' what I could 
make up out o' my thick noddle to p'int it out clear to 
her, — like sightin' a sail on the horizon, though 'twas 



68 In Quest of the Quaint. 

that far away from the reeginal thing, in the forrin 
school, — I showed her how to watch my lips and tell 
what I was saying. Donald and I betwixt us learnt 
her warious things, and Mrs. Campbell showed her 
about sewin', and house ways o' doin' things. She's 
sharper 'n a steel trap, and quicker 'n lightning; but 
she's shy until people know about her, and so she's 
sheered off when she saw you steering this a-way; 
and I've laughed at her for runnin' the blockade, 
and keepin' out o' bounds. She'll s'prize ye, I dare 
swear, although I'm not profane, — she's cured me o' 
that " — with a chuckle which shook his round body 
like a quaking jelly. " She can tell me a long story 
in three waves of her hand, and the same to you with 
pencil and paper, her scribbler traveling along like a 
two-forty racer, or a pirate chasin' a merchantman in 
old times. Oh, I've learned lots of her, for I never 
had advantages, and all the schooling I ever got was 
' by sheer grit and obstinacy,' as you Yankees say; 
'twas almost by stealing the hours when I was ashore, 
an' stuffin' my kit with books when I was on a cruise ; 
and they weren't all on navigation, neither ! " 

Here certainly was material enough for the com- 
position of airy structures, and foundation sufficient 
for day dreams, all of which was utilized by the in- 
teresting and interested strangers from the States, 
who struck up a wonderful intimacy with the gypsy- 
like maiden. 

Great was their astonishment at the remarkable 
quickness of perception and the seemingly insatiable 
desire for learning which she evinced, revealing also 
a most amiable disposition combined with force of 
character. 

An heirloom in the Campbell family, which that 
dame of the old school had presented to her bewitch- 
ing young friend over the river, was an antique 



Heron Island. 69 

" housewife " from which the supernumerary pen- 
dants had been removed, leaving the tablets and pen- 
cil depending from their quaint silver chains; and 
this dainty chatelaine always hung from the maiden's 
belt, and was brought into constant use in her com- 
munications with any one but Barstow. With him 
it never seemed necessary, such was the ready un- 
derstanding between the two. 

There was one amusing feature in their inter- 
course; that being his strenuous efforts to break him- 
self of a habit common among mariners, and uncon- 
sciously contracted by him when he was cabin boy, — 
the habit of using unnecessarily strong, not to say 
profane, language. His almost adoring love for the 
daughter of his adoption, combined with the desire 
that she should learn nothing but what was good, led 
him to try to conquer that habit, and in the course of 
the years he had almost overcome it, so that it was 
only on occasions of excitement that his own peculiar 
expressions (invented to take the place of the former 
oaths) could be heard. With all his ruggedness the 
man possessed a chivalric and noble spirit, the most 
exalted admiration for and ideal of woman, and a 
truly devout nature, with a voice like a fog-horn in 
denouncing wrong or injustice, and a heart and hand 
as soft and gentle as a woman's. 

As lona's acquaintance with the sisters ripened into 
intimacy she joined them in their rambles, wherein 
she and Martha naturally paired off, leaving Gaston 
and Kate to follow; an arrangement which it was 
evident was quite satisfactory to these two. 

Donald Campbell frequently happened along, in- 
variably joining the first-named pair; and in these 
walks and talks Martha studied that youth, and 
learned his aims and worthy ambitions, as his frank 
nature scorned disguise or concealment. It was not 



70 In Quest of the Quaint. 

possible, either, for her to mistake the character of his 
interest in the lovely girl, though she wisely kept 
that knowledge to herself, and was apparently as in- 
nocent and unsuspecting as the object of the young 
man's devotion. 

The young IsTorwegian meanwhile had so far pro- 
gressed towards recovery as to be able to walk daily, 
with the aid of crutches, into the little parlor, and, 
lying on a couch by the open casement, to bask in the 
sunshine, while John discoursed sagely or discussed 
the news of the day, or the invalid whiled away the 
pleasant hours with books or papers. lona brought 
her work and sat by them, and frequently entered 
laden with fruit and flowers, or discussed with the 
young man curiosities from the cove, which resem- 
bled small strings of flat buttons that had been buried 
in clay and needed washing, — stems of the sea lily 
(encrinite), fossilized thousands of years ago, which 
formed part of Barstow's museum of strange things 
collected from all countries in his travels. 

Gaston Laurier had left weeks before for Que- 
bec, — though it was not until an imperative telegram 
summoned that he could tear himself away, — but 
many, frequent, and transparent, were his excuses for 
almost daily missives to his distant inamorata, or re- 
minders of his constant thought for her, Kate being 
seen often wearing flowers of such rare beauty that 
any one could tell they never grew in the village gar- 
dens. She was also the recipient of fine baskets of 
fruits and boxes of dainty confections with which to 
sweeten existence, and many times the gallant 
Frenchman " ran do^vn " to stay over a Sunday at the 
shore; to recuperate from his arduous labors, no 
doubt, by change of air and scene. 

Captain Kniidsen had also made several visits to, 
and held long conferences with, Mr. Gjerding, in 



Heron Island. 71 

reference to the business of the lumber company 
which Eric represented, — a firm of wealthy ISTorwe- 
gians, of whom that young man's father was the one 
representing the largest amount of capital, — and 
Barstow had jocosely inquired if the " Aldegunde " 
were not pine-ing to be free. That great vessel, lying 
under the lee of Point a la Garde, near Campbellton, 
was devouring vast quantities of timber and deals, 
swallowing it at the two great square ports which 
stood open like yawning mouths in her bows, seem- 
ingly intent only on satisfying her apparently in- 
satiable appetite, and caring naught for the fact that 
her place of anchorage had been the site of a naval 
battle, and those peaceful scenes had echoed war's 
alarms in the last century, when Admiral Byron 
there distinguished himself. 

John's cares as nurse were very considerably 
lightened, the patient being able by this time to move 
about the house and help himself. The mariner 
and his daughter found him a fascinating guest. Eric 
seemed to have evolved a method of his own for com- 
municating with the charming mute, and she to pos- 
sess singular intuition in comprehending him. Un- 
doubtedly there was wonderful magnetism between 
the young Viking and the lovely maiden, and there 
evidently was a particularly mysterious understand- 
ing also. This did not escape the notice of the astute 
John, and it caused him to contemplate the two with 
very grave countenance, though why that should be 
it would be dilBBcult to divine, for, if " Love's young 
dream " was forming, certainly one might suppose 
those interesting young people would be just the onea 
to be so affected by each other, and that there could 
be no reasonable objection if such were the case. 

The young man from Megouacha came suddenly 
upon Gjerding and lona seated quite close together 



72 In Quest of the Quaint. 

on the porch of the cottage; proximity which was 
natural in consideration of her infirmity, but both 
were engaged in such deeply absorbing converse that 
they were quite oblivious of his approach, — although 
he stood transfixed for a moment, — as well as of his 
abrupt departure when the youth plunged down the 
bank, threw himself into his boat, the " Jettie," and 
rowed away as if his life depended on his reaching 
the verdant point in the distance " in less than no 
time," as Barstow would have expressed it. 

Martha, to whom lona and Donald had become so 
attached, found herself in a trying position between 
them, those young people having become strangely 
silent and absent. Though they both affected her so- 
ciety, and her heart was going out to each, she knew 
there was trouble somewhere; yet she was perplexed 
and felt her powerlessness ; albeit her sympathy and 
tender interest were manifested in a hundred in- 
definable ways. One day the sisters sat on the shore 
towards sunset, — 

" Not interrupting with intrusive talk 
The grand majestic symphonies of ocean," — 

but both feeling a sense of sadness in the thought 
that they must soon leave these blissful scenes. A 
thunder shower had passed over, and the clouds were 
lifted just sufficiently above the horizon to permit the 
long, slanting rays to flood the landscape with a most 
singular unearthly-seeming light, intensifying the 
hues of all verdure; while a vivid and perfect rain- 
bow completely spanned the Bay, connecting the low 
shores of ISFew Brunswick with the mountain-guarded 
coast of the Province of Quebec. John Barstow 
came striding along the beach towards the cove, wear- 
ing a rather perturbed countenance. He met the 
sisters just as this celestial spectacle presented itself 



Heron Island. 73 

to their view; and without uttering a word he rever- 
ently uncovered his head, and with them stood gaz- 
ing upward, all remaining in rapt silence till the ex- 
quisite colors had vanished. 

Again the next afternoon John met the ladies, who 
noticed his subdued manner. After a while he im- 
parted the information that the young l!^orwegian's 
business had been accomplished, through Captain 
Kniidsen, and the time set for the " Aldegunde's " 
departure ; so that in less than a week Eric would sail 
away in the great vessel. The friends who had been 
so pleasantly brought together from such opposite 
quarters were soon to separate, and even lively Mar- 
tha became subdued at the thought. Arousing her- 
self, that irresistible young woman questioned John 
as to the perturbation she had noticed in his expres- 
sion as he came towards them, and he replied with a 
bubbling chuckle, " Oh, one o' those gorjis city fellers 
sent me sailing orders that I must steer in his direc- 
tion, and I was curious to see what my lord High 
Tippy-bob wanted. Well, he came cruising down on 
me, one o' these sky-scrapers with top-gallants and 
all, ye know, and every stitch o' canvass swellin' like 
zif he couldn't even see a poor insignificant tub like 
mine. But I didn't scare worth a cent, and when 
he ordered me to take his party out sailing to-morrow 
I informed him plain as preacher's text that the 
' Petrel ' wasn't fur hire, not fur the whole heft o' 
his purse and possessions, and that the only passen- 
gers she ever carried was men, and not parodies ! 
Oh, ho! I took the wind out o' his sails, and he 
looked zif I had turned a broadside on him and raked 
his craft fore and aft, and he keeled over quicker'n 
I'm telling ye. He thinks I'm a Dalhousian and a 
fraud, I've no doubt. By jolly, it was funny! — I 
beg your pardon, ladies, that slipped out before I 



74 In Quest of the Quaint. 

could catch it; it's only from the teeth out. You 
know my Jettie has cured me of swearing." 

This seemed a propitious opportunity for the 
women to lay siege to the jolly mariner in reference 
to a project of Mrs. Newton's, the first suggestion of 
which caused his countenance to exhibit a series of 
expressions in rapid succession. First, blank amaze- 
ment, then exultant delight, finally almost abject des- 
pair that rubicund face depicted; as the three, en- 
gaged in earnest discourse, walked slowly away to a 
secluded spot on rising ground overlooking the river, 
and there the mysterious interview continued for an 
hour; Barstow finally leaving the sisters and continu- 
ing on his way to the village. With head bent and 
hands clasped behind his back he slowly paced out of 
sight, leaving the sisters seated in silence, lost in en- 
raptured contemplation of the sunset pageant. The 
nearer range of hills was clothed in dark velvety 
green, blending into the russet of rock and barren 
slope, thus breaking the transition to the rich brown 
red of the following undulations. Then rose rugged 
giants in royal crimson and Tyrian purple where the 
range parted slightly, showing glimpses of far distant 
summits of sapphire, seemingly the portal of some 
marvelous realm of enchantment; and as the wonder 
began to fade the gentle voice of one of the sisters 
repeated : 

'•' gates of glory, stay open yet longer, 
Trembling I gaze at the luminous door, 
Yearning to win but one word from the silence. 
Only one sign from the answerless shore ! " 

Barstow, returning from the village, was met by 
the children, who all knew the grand old salt, and, 
swarming about him, wished to know, now that dark- 
ness had fallen, why the shore was defined by a silver 
line of phosphorescent foam, each wave becoming an 



Heron Island. 75 

undulating, shining bar as it turned to fall on the 
pebbles, while footsteps on the sand left luminous im- 
pressions. " Why, bless ye, don't ye know that light 
comes from the ghosts of drowned sailors, likewise as 
the fire-flies being the speerits o' the poor birdies that 
the hunters shoots ? " They, however, received this 
with derisive " Ohs," and, begging for a story, he, to 
gratify them, related a legend of the Indian god 
Glooscap, another bit doubtless picked up from old 
!N"aboab, the ancient of the village. The sisters drew 
near to listen to the tale, which the mariner elabo- 
rated at great length, with much picturesque lan- 
guage, and with many figures of speech and marvel- 
ous imitations of whistling gales, roaring tempests 
and crashing timbers, to which only his powerful 
lungs and sturdy body could do justice. 

He himself would have said that " the gist of this, 
biled down to a pint," was, that Glooscap was a bene- 
ficent creature, always doing mighty deeds for the 
good of his people, and Mutchoosen was his servitor, 
who wore stupendous Avings of eagle feathers. Gloos- 
cap feared that the wind would harm his people, and 
therefore boimd the wings of the Giant Eagle, as he 
was called; but alas, then his people were panting and 
almost dying for want of air. So the god untied one 
wing of Mutchoosen, and since then he fans the earth 
with only one pinion, there being therefore no more 
tornadoes in this region. The Micmacs are descend- 
ants of a branch of the Algonquins, who, living in 
the East, bore a name appropriately signifying " the 
break of day." They were of a higher type than any 
but the Hurons, and showed more culture (such as 
it was) and traces of civilization, the supposition with 
many scholars being that this was because of the in- 
tercourse of their ancestors with the l^orsemen, the 
earliest explorers of this country. From the ances- 



76 In Quest of the Quaint, 

tors of the Micmacs, who bore the more euphonious 
title Souriquois, such legends have been handed down 
as caused old John, at least, to declare, that Glooscap 
and other giants and hobgoblins were, as he expressed 
it, " built on the model " of Norse mythology. 

The " Aldegunde " had remained in port longer 
than was absolutely neccessary for taking on her 
cargo, her master taking the opportunity to have 
calking done and repairs made before starting on the 
long return voyage; the antique vessel also appeared 
quite rejuvenated in a fresh coat of paint. Mean- 
while Captain Knlidsen had been sojourning in Dal- 
housie, and one day, on finding two of his men loafing 
in the village, he took it into his head to have them 
row him around to the Cove for another conference 
with Gjerding. While the interview between those 
two men was taking place the two sailors sauntered 
down to the beach. They were ill-favored specimens, 
with heavy, sullen faces, and seemed to be at odds 
with each other, to judge by their growling, muttered 
sentences. Their voices were evidently purposely 
lowered almost to a whisper, though each grew so 
angry now and then that their tones burst out in an 
explosive oath or sharp word; which, had any one 
been listening, would have caused wonder as to the 
cause of dispute or trouble. 

Evidently some carefully planned scheme was be- 
ing discussed, and when either raised his voice in ex- 
citement or profanity, both suddenly became silent, 
and gazed around with guilty air. As the sunset 
glow deepened, the sailors in their heated discussion 
happened to move and stand so that their figures and 
faces were brought out in sharpest relief against the 
radiant sky; and little did they dream that they were 
watched, despite their frequent and careful glances 
in all directions; for lona's figure, in the bro\vn dress 



Heron Island. 77 

under the shadow of the Gate of Fossil Cove, became 
so nearly the color of the rock as to be practically in- 
visible. She had at first looked upon the intruders 
with indifference, but all at once became intensely in- 
terested in watching them, until, leaning forward 
with hands so tightly clasped that they seemed rigid, 
and fairly panting with suppressed excitement, she 
seemed to devour with her eyes those faces, so sharply 
silhouetted against the glowing sky. At last she 
shrank back aginst the cliff as if struck by a blow, and 
in great agitation unconsciously threw up one hand 
to support herself by clinging to the side of the arch. 

The movement loosened from a fissure a bit of 
stone which fell with a sound seemingly as loud as 
the report of a gun, and the two repulsive-looking 
villains instantly turned and espied her. Making a 
frantic rush, each grasped her by an arm with a grip 
like that of a wild animal and shook the slender, 
graceful figure so mercilessly that it swayed like a 
reed in a gale, while four murderous eyes glared 
upon her pale face. She made no sound or effort to 
free herself, but gazed blankly at the wicked faces 
with a countenance from which every vestige of in- 
telligence and expression seemed utterly wiped out; 
a face which Barstow himself would hardly have 
recogTiized, and a stranger would have pronounced 
imbecile. A most astounding piece of acting this, 
which her ready perception and quick wit prompted 
in such emergency, and of which she would not have 
believed herself capable. 

The taller man of the two exclaimed with an oath,, 
" She's heard it all ! " hissing the words between his 
teeth in suppressed tones, to which the other re- 
plied, with similar preface, " Don't you see she's an, 
idjut ? It's the old skipper's stoopid dumb darter,, 
blast her ! " dropping the arm he held with an air 



YS In Quest of the Quaint. 

of disgust, and yet of relief; the other doing likewise, 
just as a hail from the cottage, in Captain Kniidsen's 
well-known tones, caused both the rascals to turn 
hastily; and, after shaking their fists at the girl, they 
made their way rapidly back to their boat on the 
shore. In a few moments they were rowing the 
shipmaster around the point towards the village, and 
lona might almost have believed that the whole scene 
had been a horrible nightmare. 

She fell back on the sand, remaining motionless 
for perhaps a quarter hour, almost overcome by f aint- 
ness caused by reaction from the tense strain; but 
she soon aroused herself and walked slowly back to 
the cottage, where Barstow was not to be found, and 
Gjerding was dozing on his couch. She proceeded in 
the direction of the village, meeting John half-way 
beyond the lighthouse. Seeing at once her agitation, 
he drew her hand through his arm, and led her along, 
striving to quiet her by his tender, soothing man- 
ner, and displaying the utmost solicitude. lona, in- 
dicating that she wished to go down under the beacon, 
where one of the great stone faces loomed above the 
river brink, he carefully led her to that spot. The air 
had rather suddenly developed a nipping chill, as he 
would have expressed it, but here they would be 
shielded and alone in the moonlight, the guests of the 
great house having been driven to the shelter of the 
porches or within its walls. Then, by means of her 
own peculiar signs, she related the episode of the 
cove, the hardy seafarer translating her story in un- 
dertone, as if repeating words after her, displaying 
amazement which worked up to a great pitch of ex- 
citement. 

" You were in the cove when two sailors were dis- 
puting and quarreling. You watched them, wonder- 
ing what the fuss was about. When the sky got red 



5y ''"" 




- ,_ . .i««*rt,-. 






'\.W ■^•-' ■ 


.^ 


. 







General Romanoze. 
Profile Rock at the niotdth of the Restigouche River, N. B. 




The Laughing Faun. 
Pi-ofile Rock, at the tnont/i of Resligouche River, N. B. 



Heron Island. 79 

and all shining-like, it showed their faces; yes, all 
cut out clear agin it, so you could see what they said ? 
Oh, ho ! One said he tripped up Mr. Gjerding on the 
ship so the other could rob him of a ' big lot swag ' 
(that's money), and that they'd ' greed to divvy on 
it ' when they diskivered he wore a big money belt. 
(Burn 'em !)" The girl gently laid her hand on his 
arm in remonstrance, and continued her pantomine. 
"^ The other said he didn't mean to take the belt till 
they were coming into port, so they could sneak away 
arterards, but the first fellow had been so stupid and 
in such a hurry, and tried to rob him when they were 
out at sea, and so made all the mischief? You 
couldn't make out all they said because they used 
words you don't know? (Blasphemous scoundrels!) 
Bless you, my precious, may you never know such 
language as they used ! 'Twas worse nor my talk be- 
fore you reformed me, I'll go bail. What? The 
first man said he would get the yellow bob yet, and 
knew where to look; they will have it yet? (The 
rascallions, scurvy brutes, perfidjus scalawags !)" 
Growing more and more excited he seemed in danger 
of falling back into the habit of his early years; but 
when the girl raised a warning finger he excused him- 
seK hurriedly on the plea : " I'm only quoting Shake- 
speare; and plain EngHsh wouldn't suit such a case. 
Why, I'm jist biling over, and couldn't help letting 
off steam a bit. They have it all planned how to get 
it. Will rob my house — ^yes — and kill — someone — 
if they must ? " In his excitement he started up^ 
but sat down again on a great rock; thumping his 
knee with that iron fist he exclaimed, " Yile, grovel- 
ing wretches! Scorch 'em! Drowning is too good 
for 'em. Such knavery — rascality — deviltry — " 

Here a small finger was held against his lip for an 
instant, while two beautiful fawn-like eyes gazed into 



80 In Quest of the Quaint. 

his reproachfully. " No," he burst out again, 
" though I'm saying all I can lay my tongue to, I'm 
not swearing ! I should burst if I didn't say some- 
thing. What ? What ? they, scurrilous poltroons, 
dared touch you with their impious beastly paws? — 
(the reptiles! oh, sizzle 'em!) — turned their foul- 
mouthed words on you ? (The caitiffs !) O me dear- 
ling, O my joy of life, my pure-souled angel! It 
cuts me to the core o' me heart to hear this, and to 
think that I wasn't there! Still more to tell? 
Quick, what was it ? " 

Then her few swift, graceful motions told how 
the villains had been summoned by the Captain's call 
just as they discovered her to be deaf, and, as they 
supposed, not only dumb, but idiotic. The hardy 
mariner dropped on the sand at her feet, doubled up 
with laughter in a state of almost hysterical collapse; 
and his words, disjointed as if forced out of his 
round body by sudden pressure, burst out explosive- 
ly: " So — ^you — played — the — ^foo — oo — ool ? Oh, 
oh, oh," — ending almost with a scream, — " and you 
sent 'em off with wasps in their ears! Oh, yes, yes; 
they'll find it is a bold flea that makes his breakfast 
on the lion's lip, and they haven't got beyond the 
reach o' this old sea-dog's claw yet. I know a game 
worth two of theirs, or my name's not Jack Barstow. 
They ought to be strung up at the yard arm ! " 

Starting up again he drew the girl toward him, 
throwing his right arm over her shoulder, and, hold- 
ing her left hand in his, they turned their faces 
towards his cottage, l^ow and then he nodded his 
head as in approval of some plan he was evolving, 
but made no other sign or motion until they reached 
the door of his domicile. Then, before stepping over 
the threshold, he stopped an instant, facing lona, 



Heron Island. 81 

pointed with left forefinger to his broad chest, and 
with the right touched his lips. 

The next night there was to ])e an entertainment 
at the hotel; and the sisters, on the plea of their 
early departure, had so urgently begged Barstow'a 
household to attend, that there was no withstanding 
them, even the convalescent consenting to present 
himself as spectator. Young Campbell hovered around 
near lona; and it must be admitted that he was rather 
stiff and formal in manner to Mr. Gjerding, whose 
magnificent presence caused quite a flutter among the 
women guests of the hotel. Music, song and laughter 
floated out on the night air, greeting the ears of Bar- 
stow, returning from an errand to the village, and 
tempted him to stop and gaze in on the lively scene 
from the broad piazza; he having declared that his 
" sea toggery " was quite unsuitable to come in con- 
tact with silks and furbelows, notwithstanding that his 
suit of navy blue was invariably immaculately neat, 
and his fine, strong face and manly presence would 
have graced any assembly. After gazing in with a 
face which beamed love and all beatitudes on his fair 
daughter, whom his eyes followed about adoringly, a 
sudden thought seemed to strike him, and he hastily 
strode off to the lighthouse point, whence he made a 
rapid survey; then, returning to the piazza, he 
quietly signaled to Donald to bring Kate ITewton out- 
side, and the two, leaving lona in Mrs. AUston's care, 
slipped away without attracting attention. 

John explained to fair Kate that unexpected busi- 
ness would oblige him to be absent perhaps all night, 
so he would request that lona should remain over 
night at the hotel with the sisters. The lady unhesi- 
tatingly acquiesced in this plan, and was shown back 
to her seat by Donald, who, excusing himself, re- 
joined the mariner. That person, saying, " Be ready 



82 In Quest of the Quaint. 

when I -whistle ! " strode away towards the cove. He 
returned speedily, however, and grasped the young 
man's elbow, exclaiming, " Don, the ' Petrel's ' gone! 
Stolen ! Yes, broil 'em ! I know all about it ; I ex- 
pected as much, though I didn't think they'd be so 
previous about it. They're mean, low-lived, hang-dog 
rascals, — ^not sailors; they disgrace the name of hon- 
est blue-jackets. Miscreants ! Gallows-birds ! Come, 
we'll get the Frenchys and the Injuns, and then we'll 
race 'em ! " 

Donald had been hurried along so that he was al- 
most breathless ; now he remarked, " We dare not take 
the light house sloop, but my father's friend Carlin 
came in in his yacht from Gaspe just after sunset; 
he's at the hotel, and his men off duty. My ' Jet- 
tie ' is moored at the head of the Laughing Faun ; and 
after we get the four fellows we'll row out to the 
' Swiftsure ' and take her. I'll be responsible; you 
can sail any craft that floats, and shall be captain of 
this expedition, — and tell me the whole story of this 
matter as we go." With a young man's love of ad- 
venture, full of enthusiasm, ardent in the cause of 
friendship, eager that his staunch old comrade's boat 
should be restored, Donald was ready for anything. 
But when they were fairly started, and sailing away 
right gallantly, John, on revealing to his young 
friend the whole story, gazed at the bright, frank 
face with curiously intent eyes. Donald silently 
stepped aside, and stood for some time leaning against 
one of the masts, waging silent war with himself; his 
hands thrust deep into his pockets, teeth set, head 
bent, and eyes gazing so intently at the deck that Bar- 
stow informed himself they " looked like 'zif they'd 
bore holes in the plankin'." 

So it was still the handsome and popular I^orwe- 
gian who was at the root of all the trouble ? 



Heron Island. 83 

Two sailors had broken his leg in trying to rob 
him. Thev had now made off with Gjerding's 
money-belt — and Barstow's boat besides. How 
heartily he wished the l^orwegian back safe in his 
own country and home, — surely that was wishing 
him well! — and wishing well to others, too; for all 
would be well if he were away, or — (this he added 
doubtfully, even in thus communing with his inner 
man) — all might have been well if he'd never come: 
but now ? It was the very irony of fate ! John, 
meanwhile, was narrowly watching his young friend, 
with sympathetic yet searching eyes; and his 
thoughts, if put into words, would have summed up: 
— " So you'd luff and bear away a bit ? Well, I un- 
derstand. ISTo doubt about it; tossed on a sea of 
mixed emotions. Weather getting dirty, heavy cross 
seas; aye, but he's weathered the storm ! I knew he'd 
breast it; too staunch a craft, that, to be swamped! 
Bless ye, my hearty ! " with a resounding slap on his 
knee as young Campbell, with a long sigh, aroused 
himself, and thenceforward entered apparently into 
the spirit of the nocturnal expedition with as much 
zest as the sturdy tar and the French and Indian 
athletes, who seemed to look upon the affair quite as a 
lark. Even l^ature seemed in league with the " Swift- 
sure " ; first one of her downy coverlets was unrolled 
and spread over the Bay, then misty curtains were 
dropped over the too brilliant moon. Thus the 
thieves were kept in ignorance of the fact that their 
flight had been discovered and that they were pur- 
sued. As the yacht rounded Heron Island, the sharp 
eye of Barstow caught sight of the white wing of 
the " Petrel " under Cortereal's Bock, just at the in- 
stant that the wind, which had been veering round, 
wafted aside the fleecy curtain, and permitted fair 
Luna to enlighten both parties of nocturnal visitants. 



84 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Surprise, seizure, surrender, conviction, followed 
in natural order; the detention of the " Aldegunde" 
being a natural sequence, that the captain and Gjerd- 
ing might testify; and although this entailed still 
longer sojourn (and in such dangerous proximity) on 
the part of his rival, Donald's best nature had tri- 
umphed, and he bore the infliction with equanimity. 

Meantime the great secret had been divulged by 
Martha, — the matter so earnestly discussed between 
Barstow and the sisters, — and it had been decided 
that lona should accompany the ladies on their re- 
turn to Massachusetts, where she was to attend school 
for eighteen months, residing with Mrs. ISTewton. 
The day on which the ISTorwegian ship sailed away 
also saw the departure of the sisters with lona, Dr. 
Laurier, coming down from Quebec to escort them, 
having induced them to make a brief sojourn in that 
quaint city, and take the more direct route thence to 
the States. John kept up bravely to the last, declaring 
earnestly that it was his '' top-lofty-most desire," as 
he jocosely expressed it, for lona to have " such a 
polishing off"; but when the train was fairly out of 
sight the old hero turned speechless and with swim- 
ming eyes on Donald, wringing his hand with iron 
grip as in token that they must now be more than 
ever to each other. 

Then there came the letters; three and four a 
week, ^' and by the fathom length," John said; in 
which the absent one told of her studies, of the de- 
lights of wonderful realms of art and literature, the 
charms of congenial and inspiring association, too; 
but through all the true heart unswervingly turned 
to the dear foster-father, and longed for the time 
when they would meet again. If a letter of his had 
seemed " rather shading on the indigoes," as he said, 
she would enumerate the weeks already past as en- 



Heron Island. 85 

couragement, and in mischievous mimicry of his 
phraseology quote his nautical language, " keep your 
luff and don't let her fall off " ; or remark that her 
letter was " as long as the maintop-bowline and jib 
down-haul bent onto each other " ; or, " There, now, 
you'll say, ^ Belay your jaw, coil it up and stow it 
away,' so I'll wind up my yarn and go to my studies." 
Fairly beaming with pride John and the " Bunsby " 
or " Petrel " conveyed the letters to Megouacha, that 
his friends, the Campbells, might enjoy them too; 
this becoming such a regular custom that they knew 
just when to look for their old friend. If Donald 
were always rather silent at such times, no one no- 
ticed it, all being absorbed in the sprightly narratives, 
and in John's delight, which metaphorically brimmed 
over and flooded the house. 

One week there was no letter, but in place of it a 
package by express, and a newspaper, in which an 
article was marked by zigzag and startling red pen- 
cil lines. This John handed to Donald, who read 
aloud, under the heading, " Art ISTotes " : " We take 
especial pleasure in calling attention to the work of a 
pupil of the school for the deaf atlSTorthampton. This 
is on exhibition at Schonfeld's gallery, and, it seems 
to us, evinces very promising talent and remarkable 
ability. The young woman has of her own accord 
adopted a line of study and work which particularly 
interests us, apart from its undoubted genius, as we 
have always advocated and strongly urged upon our 
artists and sculptors the representation of character- 
istics of our own country and people. These figurines 
are astonishingly full of spirit and character ; one rep- 
resents a hunter on snow-shoes, with game slung 
over his shoulder, as he strides through the forest; 
another a young fisherman just landing a salmon, — 
the figure alert with life, the pose admirable; and 



86 In Quest of the Quaint. 

still another shows the physician of some backwoods 
settlement, evidently on an errand of life and death, 
looking out anxiously from a canoe which a sturdy 
woodsman seems to be propelling through rapids." 

Still more of this was there, the paragrapher wax- 
ing eloquent on the subject; and great was the sur- 
prise of the four as the young man rea.d on. But 
when the package was opened all were struck dumb 
for an instant, for there appeared John Barstow'a 
grand head in miniature ; every line and lineament of 
the spirited and speaking face in alto relievo, so true 
and strong that one would not have a shade of altera- 
tion made. No one was more amazed than the sub- 
ject himseK, whose eyes fairly dilated with astonish- 
ment. Bringing his hard palms together with a re- 
sounding clap, he fairly shouted, " Belaying pins and 
marline spikes! Blue blazes and gunpowder! If 
that witch hasn't been taking me off ! Dearest Heart ; 
O my Beauty, didn't I allers say you was a genius ? 
ISTow I see why you were so partikeler to have my 
best photo to take away with you." 

Gaston Laurier would claim his bonny Kate in 
May; lona would assist on that occasion as maid of 
honor; then the bride and groom, with Mrs. Allston 
and her fair protege, would travel northward to- 
gether; the two latter proceeding as fast as steam 
could carry them to the head of La Baie des Chaleurs. 

Then such bustle as there was in " The Bunk," 
as John called his cottage ! " I must swab the decks 
and holystone 'em, and get all ship-shape," said he, 
though all was even then immaculate. 

At last the great day swung round on time's cal- 
endar; Mrs. Campbell was engaged in decorating the 
rooms of the cottage with vines and flowers from her 
conservatory, — it being early yet for such variety of 
garden posies, — and the apartments wore quite a 



Heron Island. 87 

festal air and were redolent with perfume, just at the 
time that a sweet-faced woman and fair young girl 
alighted from the train, and a voice which was not 
Mrs. AUston's greeted John. That grand specimen 
of Nature's noblemen, who had faced unnumbered 
dangers unflinchingly, appeared utterly dazed or stul- 
tified, until the same sweet tones enunciated, " My 
Father ! " when, with a great sweep of the powerful 
arms, he drew her to him and rained tears upon the 
lovely face. When released from that wide-armed, 
devouring embrace, lona beheld her playmate, Don- 
ald, standing close at hand, pale with agitation, and 
bending on her the most absorbing gaze. Turning at 
once, with perfectly artless manner, she extended 
both hands, saying, " My good friend, too ! " — ^to him 
the sweetest sounds that ever fell on mortal ear. 

Martha was quite content to be overlooked till the 
first greetings were over, but was not permitted to 
feel in the slightest degree neglected; and as the party 
were being bowled along in a comfortable carriage to 
Fossil Cove, the story was told of the marvelous suc- 
cess of a famous aurist in restoring lona's sense of 
hearing, after which her power of speech quickly de- 
veloped, lona " beamed like a May morning," John 
said, and certainly his own face was radiant, his eyes 
fairly scintillating as he listened to the happy girl's 
reminiscences and anecdotes of city life. " The 
strangest thing," said she, " was the manner in which 
people unconsciously took me into their confidence. 
When I sat at one end of a street railway car, and 
two people at the other end were whispering so their 
next neighbors could not hear what was said, I, read- 
ing their lips, knew what they were talking about. 
Positively it was startling, and made me feel so 
queer ; I used generally to gaze out of the window for 
fear I should catch myself in some mean intrusion. 



88 In Quest of the Quaint. 

People talked about me, too/' she continued with a 
laugh, " when I was going to and from Dr. Nikkola's 
office, when he was treating my ears. There was 
stiffness of the jaw, so sometimes I wore a strap (cov- 
ered with velvet) around my head; and the women 
wondered if I had toothache or lockjaw, the men say- 
ing, ' There's one woman who can hold her tongue, 
but only because she has to ! ' It was rather embarras- 
sing, though they little dreamed that I was translating 
their whispers." The mariner made an emphatic ges- 
ture and looked very much as if he would have 
punched some one, if he had been there. 

Now they drew up at the door of the Bunk, where 
there was another affecting meeting between the par- 
ents Campbell and lona. As these greetings were 
being exchanged the grand old salt had an opportun- 
ity for a few words with his guest, as he helped her 
to alight. Looking with frank admiration on the sweet 
face, the true-hearted man said, " IsTature has done a 
great deal for you, my dear lady " (Mrs. AUston 
mentally decided that this was the most graceful 
compliment she had ever received), " and you have 
done more for me and mine than could be repaid in 
a lifetime. I am not even going to try to thank ye; 
for I know your big heart prompted all, and you 
know a'ready the joy you've been the means of giv- 
ing. There's One above will repay and bless you." 

In the joy of reunion and the excitement of the 
first days at home one little thing had been over- 
looked; but one day lona discovered a thick letter 
with foreign stamps and postmark which might have 
caused Her Majesty's officials to stammer, mentally, 
as they read the name, — Skjervoer, — a letter which 
had caused both John and Donald considerable dis- 
turbance of mind. Was the handsome young lover 
over the sea already throwing out a lure to draw 



Heron Island. 89 

away again their dearest treasure, of which they had 
been so long deprived, and which was but just re- 
stored to them? Martha's face wore an expression 
of interest as lona broke the seal, but the men both 
looked extremely grave until she read aloud Eric's 
announcement of his marriage, and confessed that 
she had all the time been his confidante. Then John, 
without a word, stepped across the pretty parlor, 
and, unnoticed by all but the young man, touched 
Donald on the shoulder with unmistakably significant 
gesture, and strode out the door and down to the 
shore. Martha, with the ready perception of a 
woman, a minute before had vanished up the stair- 
way; and only the rhythmic plash of the surf and the 
soft rustle of young foliage could be heard, as " the 
old, old story was told again." 



Note. — " Barstow " is a memory sketch of Captain John 
Maginn, late pilot of New York, a rather remarkable man, and 
an original character. He was a friend of Ericsson's, and it was 
by his ingenious contrivance that the Monitor was floated 
when her launching threatened to be disastrous. He was sin- 
gularly reluctant to have any one else use his boat, and in 
the "blizzard" of 1888 the "Enchantress," fortunately with- 
out crew, was carried out to sea and lost. The writer pos- 
sesses a silver cup, presented to a mutual friend by the old 
salt, on which a peculiarly mystical figure is engraved, appar- 
ently guarding " No. 18 " to which she points. 



A Silhouette. 



A SILHOUETTE. 



My Deak Bob: 

Here's old Barnes do-^oi on me, and I on my luck ! 
Old B., b — less him, says nothing but a foreign tour 
will do me any good, threatens me with direst woes, 
gives me choice of paralysis, imbecility or insanity 
as result of the high-pressure rate at which I've been 
living. At last I've made a compromise, and agree 
to get out of the U. 8. 1 venture to say you'd weep 
and howl and tear your hair, in grief and anguish 
and despair, if you could inhabit my corporosity 
just at this present. Just when I have such import- 
ant orders, stretching far ahead, and the competition 
for designs for the great court-house of Z, two 
months hence ! However, on condition that I get to 
the quietest, most out-of-the-way places, that pre- 
cious B. permits some work on those same drawings, 
a certain number of hours per day. Equestrian and 
pedestrian exercise prescribed, and violin tolerated 
for recreation; so, after all, you may agree with me 
in saying, as old Hatch used to, no matter how sur- 
prising or startling any information he received, 
" I'm glad it's no worse." 'Tis easy for you to make 
such remark when you're having your heart's desire 
in a long course of European study and work. So 
here you find me in the southeast comer of New 
Brunswick engaged in — hunting ! 

Not a wild goose chase either, or a quixotic quest, 
though a quaint and queer one, at the beginning of 
my travels northward. One would naturally expect 



94 In Quest of the Quaint. 

to find Moneton a quiet place, instead of the bustling 
town it is, and Jim calls the headquarters and work- 
shops of the Intercolonial, the monasteries. We de- 
cide that Owltown would be a more appropriate name 
for the place, as at night it seems most wide-awake 
and busy, connections with the most important trains 
to be made at 2 a.m. Therefore we might not have 
been surprised to learn that at night also the Bore 
would be visible ; but to learn just when, — there was 
the rub. As the town runs on both standard and 
local time, between which there is a difference of 
three-quarters of an hour, 'twas important to discover 
by which schedule the Bore might be expected; but 
of course no one knew, a surprising ignorance and in- 
difference prevailing regarding the subject. ~Ro one 
at the station or hotel could enlighten us, and Jim 
remarked, "In the States anything like that would 
be stock in trade to the whole town; it would be 
placarded everywhere, and, in fact, we would be 
bored to death." Accosting some urchins with the 
query, " When does the Bore come in ? " they look 
blank, " don't know," and as they follow in our wake 
one questions the other, " I say, what is the Bore 
anyway ? " evidently concluding that it is some 
strange animal in the circus, as they watched bill- 
posters sticking huge gaudy bills on the long fence 
across the way. Even directions for finding the 
" Petty-co-Jack " (Petitcodiac) Eiver, which the 
strange visitant frequents, were so complicated that 
the most dogged determination and perseverance 
were necessary to carry out our resolution.* Fi- 
nally one individual whom we questioned astounded 
us with the brilliancy of a sudden inspiration, which 

* Names are surprisingly changed hereabouts ; Magaguada- 
vic, for instance, is always Maggy Davitt. 



A Silhouette. 95 

caused him to suggest that we should inquire at the 
post-office, and there, at last, we learned definitely 
the hour at which we must sally forth on our noctur- 
nal expedition. 

By that time it was raining, but after all our trou- 
ble we resolved, with the insistence inherited from 
our firm old Quaker ancestors, that nothing should 
deter us, and that we would haunt the wharves all 
night if necessary rather than be baffled or disap- 
pointed. Therefore, fortified with repellent gar- 
ments, we defiantly unfurled umbrellas and sternly 
took up the line of march to the distant wharf, where 
the first object Avhich presented itself to view was a 
small specimen of the genus homo, who, like a Jack- 
in-a-box, suddenly appeared from a schooner, which 
was firmly imbedded in the mud forty feet or more 
below. Jim remarked, " 'Tis evident why the direc- 
tions for finding the river were so muddled. I never 
saw such a tremendous quantity of wet clay before." 
The small boy informed us that they were waiting 
for the '" Bore," too, and were to go out with the tide, 
and the captain would be down about ten or eleven 
o'clock. The hours plodded slowly by; enthusiasm 
had cooled and died out, but clear grit and obstinacy, 
as the Yankees say, fortified us, and no one suggested 
or even thought of giving up the strange quest. We 
sat on piles of bark and played games, walked as near 
the dizzy verge of the towering wharf as we dared 
(with the thought before us of making clay moulds 
of ourselves in the event of a misstep), and the youth- 
ful tar entertained us with specimens of his profi- 
ciency in yarn spinning, evidently thinking us for- 
eigners fair game and remarkably gullible as we sol- 
emnly swallowed his preposterous statements. Fi- 
nally he slipped down the cordage and disappeared 
for awhile (to rest his conscience, which must have 



96 In Quest of the Quaint. 

been stretched to the utmost), and at last, long before 
the witching hour, the aspect of affairs grew more en- 
couraging. 

From the south a breeze sprang up, the rain 
stopped, the moon shone out, and two men, the 
schooner's crew, appeared, sauntering leisurely along, 
and called to us, " Listen ! " What a profound, un- 
earthly-seeming hush pervaded all Nature! The 
very water, shining placidly beyond the wide expanse 
of soft clay, seemed waiting in expectancy, and, strug- 
gling to our ears from the far distance, came a faint 
suggestion of sound, a whisper in the ear of Mother 
Earth. A moment more and this sound was aug- 
mented ten-fold ; then, at the curve of the stream just 
below, a flash, a sparkle in the clear moonlight. An- 
other instant, and all across the wide river bed, in a 
mad rush of tremendous rapidity, came the wall of 
water, at least four feet in height, roaring on and on, 
a great white-crested wave, reflecting the clear moon- 
light. Beyond, piling over the first powerful surge, 
came a second one, foaming, sparkling, curling, as if 
in exultant effort to overleap its predecessor; and in 
a second the whole dark mass of seething, roaring 
water had rushed by us, and was tearing its way far 
up stream. The vessels, which a moment before 
were stranded and keeled over in abject helplessness, 
now became erect, buoyant and saucy; their crews 
appeared with the suddenness of bees from a hive, the 
air filled with sounds of rattling cordage, and orders 
were tossed back and forth in shouts to deck hands. 
The vast moving mass of water, covered with silvered 
wavelets dancing merrily, was in itself the greatest 
contrast to the preceding placidity, and all was life 
and bustle. We could believe after this that unwary 
men and animals are sometimes caught and over-pow- 
ered in this mighty onslaught; indeed, I am firmly 



A Silhouette. 97 

persuaded that, in the spring tides, an army like 
Pharoali's might be overwhelmed with Biblical thor- 
oughness. 

Well, Bob, my boy, this will be a journalistic 
screed, and I pick up my ink-slinger again to add to 
the foregoing, by recounting later adventures. I 
joined a party of " American " friends, in an old- 
timey inn, severe in plainness, but unexceptionable 
in neatness; an old Loyalist house which has stood 
for over a century on the shore of Minas Basin, that 
peculiar arm of the Bay of Fundy. We liked to 
" make believe " that we had been set back a cen- 
tury, the surroundings were so simple, the people so 
old-fashioned. The mirrors in our rooms twisted our 
faces askew, so we are cured of vanity; and neckgear 
and chevelure were almost permanently awry; but 
our hostess' cookery was excellent, and the most con- 
firmed dyspeptic joined the Pi Eta Society, even 
when obliged to partake of those dainties by means 
of two-tined forks with buck-horn handles. Though 
one remarked that the Basin is well named, as its 
resorts are minus modem improvements, we sighed 
not for such things, but were content. One day, 
when inquiring the way, we were answered: " Keep 
this road till you come to a gate in the woods, which 
will lead you out on the King's Highway," which 
sounded so oldtime-y we decided to " make believe " 
we were living in the times of " La ]S[ouvelle France." 
The Gossip chatted with the postmaster, learning 
that he " had lived in the village fifty years, had been 
to Eastport, had no curiosity about any other place, 
and did not wish to travel." Blessed Contentment! 
Our two great pedestrians, known to our Company as 
the Tramps, were accosted one day by a rough coun- 
tryman, who, driving lazily in his clumsy vehicle, re- 
marked, " I like to see you slinging yourselves along 



98 In Quest of the Quaint. 

like that ! " As a sample of the unsophisticated sim- 
plicity of the folk, an Annapolis physician told us of 
one queer codger who sent him two and a half her- 
rings and a lobster, as payment for visits amounting 
to $5.00. 

Directly before us, and apparently close at hand, 
though five miles distant, Blomidon loomed grandly 
over the water, wreaths of mist occasionally dressing 
his crest fantastically; far to the left Silver Crag, 
and still farther to the right Capes Sharp and Split, 
standing majestic and gorgeous in color. Our neigh- 
bor the pilot said, " There is what they call Kiddzes 
cave on the other side o' Cape Split, but it don't 
'mount to much, and away down beyond Eylerhoe 
[Isle-au-Haut] is another spot where people dug into 
the shore, where they say he hurried a lot o' Spanish 
dubbloons." " Yes," said I, " always doubloons, and 
doubly loony those who ' threw good money after 
bad ' in such search," which attempt at pleasantry 
the old fellow did not appreciate, though he sagely re- 
plied, " There's been more money lost in such work 
than ever was hurried; sailors can't keep it long 
enough for that, it burns holes in their pockets." 

The Sage learned of the professor from the college 
across the Basin that remarkable fossil trees of the 
carboniferous period, resembling the petrified forest 
of the Colorado River, are to be seen in this region. 
One section is ten miles in length, and one tree 
tAventy-five feet high. They are exposed by the action 
of the tide, and visible at the South Joggin, and at 
Chignecto Channel. The English professor who 
started out tall and thin in the morning, came in at 
noon from Partridge Island looking corpulent. From 
numerous pockets in his blouse he disgorged a vast 
store of minerals, and was enlightened, to his amuse- 
ment, by explanation of the American slang phrase 



A Silhouette. 99 

anent " a pocket full of rocks." Attending service in 
the queer old ham of a church with unpainted and 
time-stained pews and wood work, the pastor gave 
out the " thertv-nointh peraphraz," stated that the 
*' evening meeting goes in at six o'clock and lets out 
at seven and a quayrter " ; and, not having seen a 
new^spaper or even a letter since leaving the States, 
I began to wonder Avhere I was, anyhow. The men 
of the congregation were old salts apparently, but the 
women had wonderfully clear complexions, and all 
the faces were strong, honest, frank and pleasant to 
look upon. When the Sage, in a discussion at table, 
stated that there are 31,558,149 seconds in a year, 
we mourned his rashness in giving such information 
above a whisper; for time is no object to the people of 
Parrsboro apparently, and our landlord (whom we 
called Mr. Tardus) might thereby be encouraged to 
delay, linger and wait still more. And yet that re- 
freshing way of taking things easy was one of our 
objects in coming! 

Want of enterprise is evident through the region; 
houses have stood for six years unfinished, and in 
some cases the framework was beginning to fall. 
Sometimes the family live in the L, awaiting comple- 
tion of the house proper, and even there the vnndow 
frames have darJcs instead of " lights," the broken 
glas^s being replaced with bits of shingle. The tide 
rose higher and higher, until during the last week of 
July the long and massive log pier was completely 
submerged several times; the Sage and the Oracle 
having the satisfaction of convincing themselves by 
actual measurement that the rise was forty-five feet. 
Through most of the year it is between thirty and 
forty feet at this part of the Bay of Fundy. In Chig- 
necto Bay, another arm of Fundy, the rise is occa- 
sionally sixty feet, though generally between forty 



Ut' 



100 In Quest of the Quaint. 

and fifty feet. That bay being long and narrow, the 
water crowds in. 

Storms came on again, and continued with persist- 
ence; our neighbor the pilot remarked that we " were 
in for a spell o' weather," and we became aware that 
we were under two rules; Queen Victoria's, whose 
reign is peaceful and mild, and Dame I^ature's, 
whose rain is aggressive, arbitrary and exasperating — 
a time to test the resources of the summerers — and so 
came into existence an original newspaper, but with 
its first and last issue the " Weakly Pa's Borer " dis- 
appeared from journalistic ranks, and editors of Pro- 
vincial papers breathed freely at the extinction of 
such a formidable rival. I am permitted to give but 
one extract from its columns; try it. Bob, at your 
Quill Club, as a " missing word " game and see if 
your Dabblers can fill the blanks with the names of 
colors. 

THE IRASCIBLE ARTIST. 

He took a dose of Raw S{i)enna, 
Then with a grim and Flake WJiite face 

He left the city of Vienna 
At very swift and steady pace. 

With voice resembling Indian Yellow 

He hailed a stout and lusty fellow 

With " Car-mine herr ! " and Indigo 

And rattled straight to the depot. 

Midst howling winds and pelting rain 

He crossed the Neutral Tint-ed main, 

Vowing he'd " ne'er go there again ! " 

Like war-horse sniffing at the fray 

He stormed ; the ropes were Charcoal Gray. 

He watched a sailor haul a bowlin' 

And saw the spars were Aureolin. 

A wave dashed over, quite a flood, 

And stained his coat like Dragon's Blood. 

He sat him down and tried to think ; 

The cabin rug, Italian Pink, 



A Silhouette. 101 

His weary eyes quite seemed to hurt, — 

A better shade he thought Terre Verte. 

(On ships the best taste is not seen ; 

The couch he thought was Capucine.) 

In storms they penned him in his berth, 

The curtains tinted Cologne Earth. 

With temper vicious as an adder 

He went to bed, but up Rose Madder ; 

He said, " These Vert d'eau waves no more 

I'll cross, but ever stay on shore : 

No voyages henceforth I'll take 

Unless upon a placid Lake." 

From mal-de-mer's Paynes Gray his face was. 

From weakness also slow his pace was. 

The Lamp Black shadows o'er him threw. 

He growled, " Tho' not a Proosian Blue 

I'll be henceforth Ultramarine 

And ne'er in such fix will be seen." 

"With falt'ring step, all up and down 

He paced the deck ; 'twas Vandyke Brown ; 

And noticed that the gangway ladder 

Was tinted with a rich Brown Madder. 

The morning sky above his head 

All glowing shone with bright Red Lead ; 

A voice aloft cried out " Land Ho ! " 

And down he plunged to's room below. 

His wife lay wrapped in peaceful slumber 

— Her long eye-lashes were Burnt Umber — 

And he began to shake and poke her 

(Tho' never known to be a joker) 

And with a horrid Yelloio Ochre. 

Then danced a sort of wild cotillion, 

And bet his last quart o' Vermillion — 

" When I'm once on that wharfs Deep Chrome — 

You'll see if ever more I'll roam ! " 

At last the spell o' weather was broken, we were 
released from its thrall, and, ascending Partridge 
Island (250 feet) for a last view, took away in our 
minds grand memorabilia to call up in future times. 
To the right the fine Rainbow Cliff of East Bay, the 
bit of green at the summit of the many-hued rocky 



102 In Quest of the Quaint. 

eminence, whitened witli daisies and edged mtli dark 
spruce trees; beyond, Cape Sharp, like a gigantic 
sleeping lion. In the distance Cap d'Or appeared in 
exquisite violet through the film of a passing shower 
which momentarily dropped its veil, while Cape 
Split, in neutral gray and indigo, lifted its sharp out- 
lines to the left, above the rushing, roaring current 
of Minas Channel, which " tears " by the base of 
Blomidon. 



Well, Bob, here's at ye agin, and now from an 
island in Bay Chaleur; and if, when our party at 
Basin Minas was forced to break up, my heart went 
with one fair maid, what is that to thee ? Thou knew- 
est it before, Fidus Achates; and also that in all my 
architectural work planning for a. certain sweet home 
of the future was my most enticing study. Well, 
they — my companions — were not bound to carry out 
a prescription — or live it, rather — and to obey 
Barnes's stern behest, therefore I traveled on here, 
solus. 

Bonaventure Island is three and a half miles long, 
three-quarters of a mile in width; its high, rolling 
surface dotted with cottages, its imposing cliffs — 
some five hundred feet in height — overlooking the 
bay. The conglomerate rock is, in some places along 
its shores, curiously eaten by the waves; while in 
others it has the appearance of having suddenly 
cooled when boiling, and overflowing, as the rock laps 
over in rounded layers. 

This coast was settled by descendants of the Aca- 
dians banished from " Nouvelle Ecosse." Some of 
those forlorn exiles were harbored, housed and com- 
forted by the French Quaker, Anthony Benezet, in 
the City of Brotherly Love; but how did any happen 



A Silhouette. 103 

to stray into this region so far from their old home ? 
In the official report of the time the infamous In- 
tendant Bigot stated to the Minister, M. de Boishe- 
bert, that a sailing vessel carrying two hundred and 
fifty men, women and children from Port Royal be- 
came separated during a storm from other vessels 
(also filled with families of the banished " Neutrals ") 
and the frigate escorting them. He also reported 
that the Acadians revolted, and obliged the captain 
to take them to the river St. John. A venerable in- 
habitant of Bonaventure, whose grandfather, with 
his family, was in the ship spoken of by Bigot, gave 
to an old chronicler of La G-aspesie a different ver- 
sion, showing the simple, childlike faith of the people 
of that olden time. A few days after leaving Port 
Royal a violent tempest arose, and, as there were 
some old sailors among the prisoners who were more 
familiar with the navigation of these coasts than the 
English, the captain, despairing of saving the vessel 
with his feeble and incompetent crew, called the 
Acadians to his assistance ; and they, being anxious to 
save their families, did not wait to be urged. Amid 
the terrors of the storm the prisoners released their 
companions from captivity, sent the captain with his 
sailors into the hold, and took command of the vessel 
themselves. The liberated captives threw them- 
selves on their knees, reciting litanies to " La Sainte 
Vierge " ; then, with strengthened confidence, they 
attached a scapulary to the rudder, praying their 
Good Mother to guide the vessel while they attended 
to ropes and sails and the working of the ship. 

The whole of this vast peninsula of Gaspesia is a 
region of very great resources, as yet but little 
known. The coast is edged by a narrow border of 
cultivated land with scattered hamlets and villages, 
but the interior is a terra incognita, and a tremen- 



104 In Quest of the Quaint. 

dous wilderness of impenetrable forest, abounding 
with game and containing great numbers of lakes and 
streams. The sea provides the best fertilizers for the 
farmers by easting weeds and fish on the shore. The 
temperature of Bay Chaleur in summer is the same 
as that of Berlin and Paris, and thirty to seventy 
7ninutes higher than that of the principal towns of 
England, Scotland and Russia. The atmosphere is 
remarkably even and delicious in summer, and al- 
though in winter the mercury falls lower than in 
many well-known regions of Europe of the same 
latitude, the air is so dry that it is much more health- 
ful and agreeable than in those regions, or in many 
parts of the States, where dampness causes a pene- 
trating chill. At ]^ew Carlisle, one of the largest 
and prettiest settlements, the season, exempt from 
frost, exceeds four months and a half, and in the 
Province wheat and maize are raised when in the 
same latitude of Europe such grains would not come 
to maturity. The climate of the Bay coast is more 
even and mild than on the northern river shore, the 
winds being tempered by the ranges of mountains. 

So there. Bob, is enough of the statistical for you; 
and now imagine me established in a French farm- 
house on this fine island, with the remarkable Perce 
rock, the villages and grand mountains of the north 
shore always before me. The people seem guileless 
and content. My violin has won their hearts, and I 
pick up their quaint songs and melodies, and learn 
their legends, naturally numerous among seafaring 
people. Nowhere can such thorough enjoyment of 
the terpsichorean art be seen as among the French 
Canadians, and when I saw away for their benefit in 
the evenings they enter into the sport with the zest of 
children on a holiday. 

My host's bewitching daughter, Artemise, has two 



A Silhouette. 



105 



ardent swains in her train, and I amuse myself watch- 
ing the demure little damsel, and studying the little 
drama. Now it is the young Annand who seems to 
be gaining in the race; then it is Jules apparently. 
They are strong, sturdy young fishermen, between 
whom it would be difficult for any damsel to choose, 
it seems to me. Jules is more energetic, seemingly; 
Armand quiet, thoughtful. The maiden shows no 
preference, and for my part I cannot guess who may 
be the successful one. MeanAvhile Artemise sings 
for me antique chansons handed down from genera- 
tion to generation among these delightfully un- 
worldly folk. 

AURAI-JE NANETTE? 



'& 



^^m 



I5EH 



1. Par derri^r' chez mon per' Lui ya-t-un bois Jo - li; 

1. Back of my father's house There is a pret- ty sight, 

2. II chante pour ces belles Qui n' ont pas de ma - ri. 
2. 'Tis far nnpromised fair His notes fall from a- hove; 



i 



^ 



m 



-V- 



--^-^ — ^ 

Le ros - sig - nol y chante Et le jour et la nuit. 
A charming wood where nightingales Sing day and night. 
II ne chant' pas pour moi Car j' en ai-t-un Jo- li. 
For me is not his song so rare, I've my true love I 



\M^ 


—- ^— f^3-^» — r- 


--^r^=^- 


^ 1-^^ 


W^^ 


^ F 


— li —»— 


H =1— 

^ ^ _ 



Au 
Can 



rai - je Nanette? Je crois que non. 
I have Nanette? I can - not guess; 



i 



i 



:J: 



Au - rai - je Nanette? Je crois que oui. 
Sometimes I think "no" and sometimes "yes." 



106 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



3. n n'est point dans la danse, 
II est bien loin d'ici ; 
II est dans la HoUande : 
Les HoUandais I'ont pris. 



4. Que donneriez-vous beUe 

Qui TamCn'rait ici? 

Je donnerais Versailles, 

Paris et Saint Denis. 

5. Je donnerais Versailles, 

Paris et Saint Denis, 
Et la claire fontaine 
De mon jardin joU. 



3. 'Tis not at fete or dance 

My true love would be found, 
But through the war's mischance 
he dwells 
On foreign ground. 

4. What would be thy reply 

If I bring him back to thee ? 
I'd give to thee Versailles, 
Paris and Saint Denis. 

5. I'd give to thee Versailles, 

Paris and St. Denis, 
Also the fount within my garden 
Flowing free. 

E. B. C. 



Note. — The oldest songs, those which have been least changed 
from the original— sung by and handed down from earliest 
settlers — are heard on the lower St. Lawrence and Bay Cha- 
leur.. Their iteration adapted them to the use of voyageurs, 
when keeping time with oars, on long journeys. This 
monotonous repetition made them popular with old-time do- 
mestics, as lullabies; the most rebellious child being thus irre- 
sistibly conquered. The words of this song are adapted to 
several different melodies in Canada, but with the refrain: 

" Gai, Ion la, gai le rosier 
' Du joli mois du mai," 

and in other versions it is " ma tante " instead of " mon 
pgre," whose garden is frequented by nightingales. The words 
of " Cecilia " are also sung to a different air with the re- 
frain : 

"Mon, ton, ton, turlutaine." 

Then Pere Boucliarde in his oldtime-y French and 
quaint phraseology told of: — 



LE FEU DES EOUSSI. 

According to ancient superstition, if one does not 
partake of the Holy Communion at least once a year, 
he will at the seventh year of such wicked neglect be 
transformed into a hobgoblin or were-wolf. Well, 
let me tell you of the little Cyprien Roussi. The 
poor child, when very young, had the misfortune to 
lose both parents, and fell to the care of an aged un- 
cle. This old man left the boy to do as he pleased, 



A Silhouette. 107 

allowing him absolute liberty, never concerning him- 
self abont the child otherwise than to scold him 
severely when he did not come home at meal times. 
Thus the boy grew almost to manhood as untamed 
and untrammeled as a wild animal of the forest; and 
gathered about him a merry troop of reckless youths, 
all daredevils like himself. What one did not think 
of another did in the way of mischief and rogiiery, 
and the lawless band were the terror of the country- 
side. Cyprien had not been even to the Easter com- 
munion for six years, and six months of the seventh 
and fatal year had passed; so the old wives and gos- 
sips of the village began to put their heads together 
and whisper mysteriously, prophesying a dreadful 
doom to the leader of the scapegraces. 

But one fine Sunday the parishioners were 
astounded, for this youth, who had not been seen 
anywhere for three weeks previous, appeared at the 
grand mass in the church, and the people could 
hardly believe their eyes when they beheld Cyprien 
piously kneeling at the chancel rail, receiving the 
sacrament at the hands of the beloved cure. The 
solution of the mystery was very simple, however, 
for the little boy of the bow and arrows was at the 
root of it all. The discreet, modest and devout little 
conto'iiriere, Marie, had convinced Cyprien of his evil 
ways; yes, and she undertook to keep him in the path 
of rectitude, and to take care of him for life, for two 
months afterwards they were married and moved to 
Paspebiac, where the former idle fellow, who had 
now become sober, active and punctual, was em- 
ployed by the house Robin, who know how to value 
such traits in their employees. 

All was blissful life now for these two, and so 
passed fifteen years over the contented family. But 
alas ! one day when Cyprien and his son of thirteen 



108 In Quest of the Quaint. 

approached their humble dwelling, Marie, who always 
watched at the door for them at that hour, was not to 
be seen, and an ominous silence prevailed. This was 
explained all too soon, when the father and son 
reached the threshold, for then plaintive and distress- 
ing moans were heard, and behold the poor Marie 
lying on the floor in excruciating agony. Yes, she 
had overturned a great caldron of boiling water, and 
was now almost dying. Said she in feeble tones: 
" My husband, my life goes fast; promise me before 
I leave thee that thou wilt never take the liquor, and 
will teach our boy to become a good, true man." The 
weeping husband replied : " Be at ease, my Marie ; I 
shall always remember it; I will keep the promise." 
Then the good wife embraced her dear ones, and with 
a sweet smile of resignation breathed her life out 
with a gentle sigh. 

Now passed the days gloomy and joyless; Cyprien 
and his son wandered about aimless and desolate. 
One day, during a cold, bleak term at the last of 
May, they were fishing with Gendron, a friend of 
Cyprien's, who blew his fingers and flung his arms 
about to conquer the chill. Then he drew a bottle of 
rum from his pocket, saying, " Take a cup, man. 
Warm thyself!" But Cyprien answered, "No; 
thank you, friend, I do not drink; keep it yourself." 
But then the temptation assailed him; he was seized 
with a shiver; his hands were so benumbed that he 
had no feeling in them, and, dropping the handle of 
the rudder he reached for the bottle and took a long 
draught. Alas ! alas I he had lied to his dear dead 
wife, whose spirit watched over him. It is a dread- 
ful thing to break your word to one who has gone ! 

The next morning the people of the village discov- 
ered a barge thrown keel upwards on the shore, and 
the two men and boy were never seen again. Since 



A Silhouette. 109 

that disaster a bluish flame is seen flickering and 
flitting over the Bav, generally half way between 
Caraqnet and Paspebiac. Sometimes it appears like a 
torch; then again it resembles a great conflagration, 
now retreating, now advancing, then rising and fall- 
ing. When one imagines that he has reached the 
very point where the light was stationed it disap- 
pears in an instant, then shows itself anew when he 
has moved on. The fishermen afiirm that these fires 
mark the place where Roussi perished. Thou, trav- 
eler or fisherman, when thou shalt see a luminous 
point oscillating at the further end of Baie des 
Chaleurs, kneel and say a De Profundis for the dead, 
for thou hast seen the fire of the Roussi ! 

A French writer of about a century ago says: — 
" Les pecheurs affirment que ces feux marquent 
I'endroit ou pent dans un gros temps une ber^e con- 
duite par quelques hardis marins, du nom de Roussi; 
cette lumiere, selon I'interpretation populaire, aver- 
tirait les passants de prier pour les pauvres noyes." 

The quiet, thoughtful Armand has confided in me, 
I having noticed his skill with tools, and I have tkus 
learned why a lamp burns until the dawn, almost, in 
a window which I can see just across from mine. 
One of the great fish-packing houses has offered a 
prize for the best model of a " bateau-de-pecheur," 
and he is to enter the competition. So he works in 
secret and at night, when the good Pere Boucharde 
believes that all are sleeping beneath, his roof. I 
have seen Armand's model, and so far, as I am a 
judge, I should say it is good. Meanwhile Artemise 
spins and weaves wonderful fabrics, which no doubt 
some day are to form her housekeeping outfit, when 
she decides between the two gallants. Imagine, if 
you will, the demure little maiden, as her deft fin- 
gers twist the thread, and the wheel whirs its accom- 



110 In Quest of the Quaint. 

paniment, relating at my request a legend which she 
learned from her grandparents; a weird and sorrow- 
ful tale to which her pleasant voice and quaint French 
add the greatest charm. 

LEGEND OF CAP DESESPOIR. 

Sometimes to the lone fisherman quietly engaged 
in his peaceful avocation, near this point, there ap- 
pears a marvelous scene, and a strange vision reveals 
itseK to his wondering eyes. Though it is so calm 
that the waters appear like a mirror, all at once the 
sea becomes agitated, and the waves, growing larger 
and larger, roar and break against each other. Sud- 
denly a light vessel carrying all sail appears upon the 
tumultuous waters, and seems to wrestle with the 
boiling surges; then swiftly as the swallow flies it 
darts along, apparently scarce touching the surface. 
On the poop, in the forecastle, in the rigging, every- 
where appear human figures clothed in the military 
costume of ancient times. A man who wears the in- 
signia of a superior officer stands in the attitude of 
command, with one foot upon the bowsprit as if ready 
to leap ashore. With his right hand he directs the 
attention of the pilot to the sombre cape rising before 
them; with his left arm he supports a beautiful lady 
enveloped in a long white veil and draperies. The 
sky is black; the wind whistles in the cordage; the 
ship, flying like a dart, is dashed upon the rocks ; and 
amidst the roar of the sea, the crash of thunder, the 
distressing groans of the dying, is heard the agonized 
shriek of a woman! — then the vision vanishes. The 
silence of death falls on the water; ship, pilot, the 
whole dreadful equipage, the commanding figure of 
the officer, the graceful woman in the white garments, 
all have disappeared, and the quiet wavelets caress 
the feet of Cap Desespoir. 



A Silhouette. Ill 

Many names about the coasts of Bay and Gulf 
have become corrupted and changed; in this case the 
elision of one syllable changed hope to despair, the 
point in old charts being called Espoir. 



Matters have been culminating since I wrote last, 
and we have been making history, of which, behold, 
hereunto appended, the report. Armand has been 
away to Gaspe on business for the firm for whom he 
works, and who seem to have considerable confidence 
in him, yet the first night of his absence the light 
burned as usual in the room of the loft. From my 
window I could see that of the room, but the white 
strips which served as curtains of the casement win- 
dow were dropped. An indefinable suspicion led me 
to play the spy — I confess it; moreover, when a 
sharply-defined profile appeared on the smooth sur- 
face of the white window shade, what did Yours 
Truly do ? (Remember my boyish taste at school for 
sketching hasty likenesses !) I whipp€d out a piece 
of charcoal and took ojf that head; yes, and to my 
amazement, recognized it, too, without shadow of 
doubt. Evidently some mystery there, but I kept 
dark. 

For many nights in succession I watched the mys- 
terious workman; and if I could have had any doubt 
of his identity or evil intent, I was thoroughly con- 
vinced when, one windy night, a sudden gust blew 
open the loft window, and I beheld the miscreant 
copying Armand's model. He started guiltily, and 
quickly closed the casement, after a hasty glance all 
around to convince himself that he had not been seen. 
I, of course, was in the dark, and, moreover, the re- 
port had gone abroad that I had gone to Gaspe with 
Armand, though I decided at the last moment that I 



112 In Quest of the Quaint. 

could not spare the time, as my drawings and plans 
must be sent to !New York by a certain date. 

At last came the day on which the models were to 
be inspected, and, decision given, the prizes to be 
distributed. Armand carried his tiny " chaloupe " 
himself, enveloped in neat wrappings, just as he had 
left it at the time of his Gaspe trip, and thus deposited 
it in M. le Cure's house. Then the village was en 
fete, and the brawny fisher lads and quaint country 
lasses engaged in various old-time games and dances, 
for which latter the services of your correspondent 
were in requisition, as orchestra. When the models 
were placed on exhibition behold two so nearly alike 
that only an expert or professional shipbuilder, it 
seemed to me, could decide between them; but — to 
Jules was awarded the prize ! Then Yours Truly 
stood forth boldly, and gave his testimony, calling 
upon M. le Cure (whose word is law to these people) 
to see that justice was done, and explaining how the 
model of Armand had been stolen. I had mentioned 
no names in my accusation of the mysterious work- 
man of the nights, but produced the profile which I 
had drawn (and since filled in with crayon, so it made 
an unmistakable silhouette), and, suspending it in full 
view of the audience, it was instantly recognized. 
The name of the guilty one was spoken by almost 
every one in the room in every possible gradation of 
intonation, to express astonishment, disgust and grief 
that one of their worthy community could be so base. 

You can easily guess how the matter ended, but 
you cannot surmise how retribution followed the 
yoimg rascal. The very next night his father's fine 
barn was burned; the new hay with which it had 
just been filled, and its thatched roof making ready 
fuel for the flames, also a glorious sight for all but 
the owner of the building. Then it came out and 



A Silhouette. 113 

was proved that Mr. Fisherman Jules had stored 
therein contraband whiskey, which he had cleverly 
smuggled among the casks in his boat, and some of 
his associates who were in the secret, thinking to help 
themselves on the sly, dropped a match into the in- 
flammable stuff. 



P. S. — Armand and Artemise are betrothed; and 
I am going home, post haste, to tell a certain fayre 
damosel that I am to have the contract for the court- 
house of Z. (just received notice by telegram), and 
then shall be made tangible also a certain Chateau- 
en-Espagne which two young folk whom you know 
have long been engaged in constructing; so good-bye, 
old fellow ! 



Demon and Pity-us. 



DEMON AND PITY-US. 



The two friends, Joseph Sturgis, M.D., and John 
Cahill, artist — Sturgeon and Jonquil in their college 
days — ^were discussing their summer vacation, which, 
without shadow of doubt, they must pass together. 
Sturgis, barely convalescent from a fever in conse- 
quence of overwork in hospital during a winter of 
epidemic, seemed to find that conversation required 
great effort, and was languidly laconic. 

" How ? " said Sturgis. 

" Our own vehicle," replied. Cahill, in imitation of 
his friend's terseness. 

" Cart, wagon, van? " queried medico; whereupon 
Cahill loosened the check-rein, quoting: — 

" I think we'd make such a charming pair, 
For you're good looking, and I'm [a grimace and 

doubtful glance at mirror] fair? 
We'd travel life's round in gallant style. 
And you should drive every other mile, 
Or, if you'd rather, all the while," 

which, considering my dislike of driving, — (natural 
laziness), — and the fact of your having been in a 
drive all winter, is remarkably self-sacrificing on my 
part." Sturgis roused up enough for a longer sen- 
tence at this, remarking, " Better change charming 
to hansom/' whereupon Cahill leaped to his feet, ex- 
claiming, " By the ten-thousandth part of Celtic 
blood in my corporosity, you've hit it ! That's the 
kerridge I had in me moind. I thought of it the 
other day when I left my storm coat in one. When I 



118 In Quest of the Quaint. 

went back the next day to inquire for it, I was told 
I must see the man in charge of the cabs, whom I 
found ' a tall man in a light coat,' deep in conversa- 
tion with one of his men. He did not notice my 
august approach, until I addressed him: — ' Are you 
the hansom agent ? ' Thereupon he turned, reveal- 
ing a remarkably ugly phiz, and the absurdity of my 
question struck us both at the same moment. He 
broke into a hearty laugh, however, and answered, 
' That's what they call me here; I leave you to judge 
who's in the right of it.' I said to myself that I could 
not fail to like such a man, who, when ' JSTature in a 
glass, the merry elf, sits gravely making faces at her- 
self,' could make a jest of it ; whereas many another 
would have considered himself aggrieved, and grow 
unbearably touchy about it." 

Just here, as a chink offered in Cahill's rapid flow 
of language, his invalid friend put in: — 

" You mean the Owl. I know him; Tim O'Hara, 
who was night watchman at the hospital. He was 
devoted to me. Stipulate that he shall be our char- 
ioteer." Then as the invalid dropped back exhausted 
after so long a speech, Cahill launched out into an 
elaborate and detailed plan of travel; and it was 
ag-reed between the two that they should purchase 
vehicle and animal, to be sold again (if not used up !) 
at the end of the tour. The picturesque and roman- 
tic taste of the artist, combined with the natural gal- 
lantry of his race, caused him next to suggest that, 
like knights of old, when starting out on their ad- 
ventures, they should wear their lady's colors. 
Whereupon he, being bespoken (and parading that 
fact) would wear his Jennie's true blue; and Sturgis, 
— ^who could tell but that he would find in his travels 
" that incomparable she who somewhere surely 
waits for thee " ? Being, so far as appeared, as yet 



Demon and Pity-us. 119 

unblest in that respect, Sturgis should disport on his 
coat lapel a tiny knot of white ribbon, which his 
lively friend proceeded then and there to affix; the 
physician submitting, though turning away with a 
sigh while a strangely bitter expression passed over 
his pale countenance. 

Tim, on being taken into the confidence of the two 
friends, acceded with inward delight, though out- 
ward calm, remarking: — " So the ordeal has gone 
into effect, and I thought I was out of a job, but time 
determinates all. You remarks that I'm attached to 
this here Pa. R. R. stashun and my business, but I 
ain't, nor to anything or anybody. I just happen to 
be here, but I'll git. I'm a lone un', an' no one be- 
longin' to me, nor me beholden to no one; I've been 
meanin' to tell 'em I meant tO' leave. So ye touches 
me in a tender spot and I 'gree to it." 

Thus it came about that the three men set out on 
their travels; the two friends delighted with the un- 
obstructed view which the absence of driver's seat af- 
forded; the Jehu perched in superb importance high 
up in the rear, whence through the tiny trap in the 
roof he occasionally dropped wise remarks, — " plum- 
mets of Proverbial Philosophy," as Cahill said. 

Sleepy hamlets and scattered settlements in out-of- 
the-way regions were aroused to prodigious excite- 
ment by the appearance of such singular equipage, 
and people turned out en masse to behold and ques- 
tion, while the dogs barked themselves hoarse. 

The fine steamer touching at " Isle St. Jean " 
(P. E. I.) took on board the trio and their equipage, 
to convey them literally to the land's end; i.e., the 
region known to the Montagnais Indians as Guihaks- 
peque, or " the end of the world " ; a name which in 
time has become changed and abbreviated to Gaspe. 



Demon and Pity-us. 



121 



The bold, majestic cliffs of Cape Gaspe rise seven 
hundred feet at the extremity of a long point guard- 
ing the entrance of the Bay, which is twenty miles 
long. Sturgis and his friend spent some time in 
studying up the history of the remote place, for, 
strange to say, Graspe once played an important part 
in the early days of the French settlement; and even 
Tim developed a taste for statistics and queer bits 
of yams picked up from the sailors and fishermen 
among whom he prowled. It was the English-speak- 
ing tars whose society he affected, being unable to 
converse with " Frenchys " then. Thus they learned 
that in 1851 or 1852 there stood in the sea near this 
point a columnar rock known as the Old Woman. A 
clump of trees on its crest caused it to resemble the 
antique cap worn by Canadian women in former cen- 
turies, and thus suggested the name of " La Veille." 
As long as this rock stood it formed the pretext 
among sailors for . , . 

tricks similar to 
those played on un- 
wary travelers when 
" crossing the line." 
Pretending that the 
Old Woman was a 
wicked creature, 
who must be pro- 
pitiated lest she do 
some harm to vessel 
or passengers, these 
mischievous tars de- 
manded pour hoire; 
the passenger who 
proved incredulous 
or close-fisted receiv- 
ing a ducking from 
a pail 01 water. ^he old woman of york cliff. 




122 In Quest of the Quaint. 

THE I,EGEND OF KATSEnON. 

The Indian legend is, that a Jotim or giant here 
held a contest with an evil spirit, and as thej fought 
at night the combat seemed the more frightful. The 
giant knew that if he could reserve his strength and 
continue the battle until dawn he would then be se- 
cure, for these goblins cannot bear a ray of light. 
Therefore, pretending weakness, he thus lured on his 
opponent, who wasted his force. When the first ray of 
light appeared the giant was encouraged to feel that 
he might hold out, and as the gleam brightened and 
broadened he exerted himseK to the utmost, and by 
a tremendous effort threw his antagonist forward in 
such manner that the sun fell full upon him, and he 
was thereby immediately turned to stone. The 
strength of the goblin then passed into the body of 
the vanquisher, who became immensely more power- 
ful than before, and so he traveled to the Arctic Sea, 
to fight the friends of frost and cold, who have heads 
of ice and hearts of stone, and are under the protec- 
tion of the spirit of Aurora Borealis. This giant, be- 
ing assisted by the spirit of the Lightning, was so 
much more rapid in his movements that he conquered 
the goblins of the cold, who, ever since, have not been 
able to come to this region in such force as they did 
in former ages. Some writers suppose this statue 
rock to be the same as La Veille; some say it was 
thirty-five feet high, others one hundred feet; some 
place it at the end of Cape Gaspe, some at Cape 
Rosier, a few miles beyond. Undermined by the 
waves, it sank into the sea during a great storm, the 
same which caused the fall of the arch of Le Rocher 
Perce and left that pyramidal mass standing aloof. 
Katsepion is the name which the Indians gave to the 



Demon and Fity-us. 



123 



cohirrm, signifying " separated " or " that -which is 
apart." 

The Bay of Gaspe presents a scene in which quiet, 
restful beauty and gTandeur combine ; the upper part, 
securely land locked, is known as the Basin. Along 
the north shore of the mountains approach the water, 
their lower slopes ending in steep cliffs. These are 
the I^Totre Dame range, and the Shickshock (also 
known as Shickshaws and Chikchaks), which to- 
gether form the western prolongation of the AUe- 
ghenies, Cahill remarked of the fish houses in the 
deep coves, that they looked to him like inquisitive 
urchins standing on stilts and leaning on their folded 
arms, which rest atop a fence; these peculiar dwell- 
ings being one story in height where they face the 
roadway, but three or four in depth, in the rear, 
where they extend 
down into the 
coves, and show 
their foundations 
of piles. Patches 
of gTeen and culti- 
vated land are scat- 
tered on the hills 
near the villages, 
but thence into the 
interior in all di- 
rections except the 
east the primeval forest extends unbroken and dense. 
The Owl, seeing water conduits formed of a 
series of hollowed logs, propounded profound 
queries, in what he supposed was medical phraseology 
(which he had picked up at the Hospital), calling 
these the " e/ementary canal," which certainly seemed 
applicable to this primitive contrivance. 




A WAYSIDE WATERING TROUGH. 



124 In Quest of the Quaint. 

While Stiirgis devoted himself to botanical studies 
in the forests, Cahill found ample material for the 
employment of his brush in depicting the beautiful 
scenes, as well as in representing the quaint charac- 
ters among sailors, fishermen and Indians, picking up 
meantime bits of history with which to regale his 
comrade. Tim wandered about Bay and beaches, en- 
larging his store of knowledge, but always presented 
himself for the daily drive. Jonquil learned that in 
1534, July 24th, Jaques Cartier landed in Gaspe Bay 
and erected a cross thirty feet high. " Erected for 
the first time in 'New France the cross commanded 
on one side the majestic basin, on the other the beau- 
tiful port where, many times since, French and Eng- 
lish vessels have sought haven from the fury of tem- 
pests. France could offer nothing more majestic 
than the J^otre Dame mountains, more noble than 
the Bay of Gaspe." In 1627 a fleet of twenty French 
vessels, under De Eoquemont, richly laden with sup- 
plies for Champlain's colony at Quebec, put into 
Gaspe Bay for haven during a storm, but found them- 
selves less secure, perhaps, than they would have been 
outside, for they were captured by the English, under 
Captain Kirke, who had only three vessels, and who, 
after burning half the fleet, carried ten ships to Eng- 
land with the freightage of the whole twenty; and in 
1Y60 the village was taken by Com. Byron, who 
burned a French frigate which was in the harbor. 

A sojourn at the fishing port of Perce being next 
on the plan of travel, it was by " the loveliest road in 
Canada," leading from Douglastown, and command- 
ing wonderful views of Swiss suggestion, that the 
peculiar equipage made its appearance in that quiet 
hamlet. " Voici le cirque ! " shouted one small tar 
to his companions who stood in open-mouthed won- 
der, saying: " Pourquoi ne bouleverser pas cet chariot 



Demon and Pity-us. 125 

drole i " looking back up the road by which it came, 
evidently expecting other marvelous things and 
strange beasts to follow. The knight of the quill 
called the attention of the knight of the pill to Amer- 
ican patent medicines masquerading in high-sounding 
phraseology and foreign tongue, on posts and fences: 
" Sirop adoncissant de Mme. Winslow," " Calmant 
sirop de Mme. Winslow pour la dentition des en- 
fants," " Pastilles bronchiales de Brun/' etc. 

Le Rocher Perce ! ISTature seems to have used it as 
her palette for experimental and daring combinations 
of color, the strange wall-like barrier being eccen- 
trically striped and dashed with the tints of ores and 
clays. Brilliant shades of yellow, copper, blue and 
pinkish grays, reds and browns, blending marvelously 
on its surface, and contrasting with the hues of sea 
and shore, form a memorable picture. The rock is 
660 feet in length and nearly 300 feet in height, its 
proportions apparently greater as it is seen against 
sea and sky. General Bouchette, surveyor general, 
said, in 1815, there w^ere three openings in the rock, 
the largest admitting a small vessel under sail; there 
is but one now, and beyond the island an irregular, 
somewhat pyramidal, mass, standing separate, was 
once connected with the greater rock, forming an 
other arch. During an earthquake or tremendous 
storm in June, 1846, the top of this arch fell into the 
sea, leaving a bit of jagged cliff standing aloof as it is 
now to be seen. This is known as the split. That 
ancient, voluminous and amusing chronicler, Cham- 
plain, says : " It is a fort of rock which is very high 
and steep, with a hole through which shallops and 
boats can pass at high tide. At low tide you can go 
from the mainland to this island, which is only some 
four or five hundred feet distant." Ferland says: 
" n existait bien un vague tradition qu'a certaines 



126 In Quest of the Quaint. 

epoques, un jeune homme aux formes herculeennes, 
a Failure surhumaine avait paru sur le cap; mais ces 
reveries superstitieuses ne servaient qu'a donner un 
nouveau relief a sa liardie'sse des simples m.ortels qui 
avient ose braver le Genie du cap Perce, jusques dans 
son aire inaccessible." The summit of the rock * is 
now tke undisputed realm of myriads of sea fowl; 
gulls, gannets, cormorants, tern, which. " rise in 
clouds and fill the air with their sharp cries," as Ter- 
land says. The Owl, being naturally interested in 
birds, dropped from his high perch the remark that 
his mother used to repeat to him something about 
" birds in their little nests agree," but that these are 
constantly falling out, and the friends saw that the 
circling, wheeling, white cloud might readily give rise 
to ghostly legend. The prevailing industry of the 
place is evident in the odors pervading some parts of 
the settlement, and Cahill, quoting " flesh, flesh, how 
thou art fishified ! " expressed willingness to pass on. 
Among the Indians there is a tradition that the 
cliffs of Mt. Joli, Perce Kock and Bonaventure Island 
(two miles from the mainland) once formed a long 
point, and this is confirmed by the character of the 
conglomerate rock. Ferland, in 1836, said " every- 
thing would seem to indicate that in bygone ages the 
rock and Mt. Joli were united by similar arches," and 
Denys, almost 250 years ago expressed the same idea. 
Legend also states that He Perce was part of a gi- 
gantic causeway which the Jotuns were building to 
Miscou Island, to conquer the frightful monster 
which inhabited that spot. Champlain, prince of 
yarn-spinners, describes that horrible gorgon as be- 
ing tall as a ship mast, carrying a pouch in which hu- 

* Sailors formerly climbed the rock to obtain eggs of tbe 
birds; this is now forbidden. 



Demon and Pity-us. 127 

man beings were deposited to be devoured at leis- 
ure; and filling the air with astounding noises; whis- 
tlings, growls, hissings ('' sifflements "). The Indians 
called this creature Gougou. 

The legends of this part of Gaspe are suggestive of 
ISTorse mythology. In Norway, Jotunheim, " the 
home of the giants," is a region of wild grandeur and 
legend. The grand Mt. St. Anne, also known as Mt. 
Joli and Table Koulante, — owing to a tract of table- 
land at the summit, — rises 1,230 feet above the sea, 
and broods over the peaceful village. When the jolly 
artist was informed by fishermen that it is visible 
seventy miles at sea. Jonquil (who happened to have 
a taste for mathematics, unusual in one of his craft) 
insisted that that would not be possible ; that it could 
only be seen from a mast head at the distance of 
forty-five miles, provided the tip of the mast were 
one hundred feet above the water. " Yes," said he, 
" my Figure Head, or head for figures, helps me to 
keep the wolf, — otherwise frame maker, — from my 
door ; and he is classed by some of my confreres in the 
same category as the horse jockey." 

Piscatorial and nautical studies and amusements 
naturally being in order in such a place, the friends 
passed much time on the water, the Owl displaying 
talent as an oarsman, — exercise in which the young 
physician was not yet permitted to indulge, — and the 
artist preferring to lie back at his ease and study 
color effects. It had been arranged that they should 
be off before daybreak on a fishing excursion, and 
Sturgis was awakened by hearing Cahill calling Tim 
his " Precious Yeast Cake," and assuring him that 
such well-hred person as they could rise without his 
assistance. Though the artist had been hurling comi- 
cal and original invectives at Tim, he elaborately and 
voluminously forgave him, — yes, even with enthusi- 



128 In Quest of the Quaint. 

asm, — when they were fairly out on the shore; for 
thus it came about that they beheld L'lle Perce pre- 
senting itself in unearthly aspect, as the sombre mass 
loomed in the dim, uncertain light, with the arch of 
Aurora Borealis * reaching directly across to the 
mainland, and the brilliant morning star reflected in 
a long, wavering gleam on the black water. "It is 
the bridge of the phantom," exclaimed Cahill, and in 
the solemn hush of the morning twilight, — fit hour 
for weird recital, — he related the legend of 

LE GENIE DE L'iLE PERCE. 

Sometime during the seventeenth century a young 
French officer, distinguished for bravery and nobility 
of character, as well as of birth, was ordered to Can- 
ada. Not hesitating at the call of duty, his heart 
misgave hinj at the thought of separation from the 
lady of his love, a beautiful woman to whom he was 
soon to have been married. Years might pass ere 
they could see each other, and as the fair one pon- 
dered on the possibilities of his life in that far-away 
and wild country, her anguish was augmented by the 
thought that they might never meet again. Though 
she had been so delicately nurtured and shielded, she 
did not hesitate to face danger and hardship for his 
sake, but promised to accompany some friends sail- 
ing later for " La ITouvelle France," there to be 
united to him, for better, for worse, in Quebec. In 
those times there were fierce marauders on the seas, 
and before " L'Esperance," with the fair bride-elect 
among her passengers, had proceeded very far upon 
her voyage, she was captured by a Spanish pirate. 

* Indians call the Aurora Borealis Wah-wah-tao ; their be- 
lief is that it is the spirits of the departed dancing on the 
borders of the Land of Hereafter. 



Demon and Pity-us. 129 

The crew and passengers were put to death with the 
exception of the French lady, whose rare loveliness 
fascinated the chief of the buccaneers. Enraged at 
the obduracy of his captive, the pirate locked her in 
the cabin; but she, taking her life in her own hands, 
leaped from the window into the sea. Infuriated at 
the escape of his victim, the pirate continued on his 
course, hoping to secure prizes among merchantmen 
bound to or from Quebec. The next night after the 
suicide of the unfortunate fiancee, the ship was round- 
ing Cap Canon, and approaching L'lle Perce, when, 
to the horror of all, a white and floating figure ap- 
peared upon the Rock. The wicked sailor and his 
men knew this in an instant as the wraith of the un- 
happy French woman. Crew and captain were panic 
stricken; a strange numbness crept over them, their 
limbs grew heavy and seemed almost powerless. The 
phantom still hovered over the rock waving its arms 
menacingly. The captain steered for Gaspe Bay; 
the vessel, sailing in a strangely labored manner, 
seemed to be settling in the water, while the lethargy 
<yl all the men increased in unaccountable manner. 
Slowly and more slowly the vessel moved; presently 
she seemed to stand still, and in an instant barque 
and crew became petrified, a solid mass of rock which 
still resembled a ship under sail.* As Ship Eock it 

* This year, March, 1902, from San Francisco comes a mar- 
velous tale of two petrified ships discovered by a Chandelar 
Indian huntsman, on the side of a mountain which slopes 
toward the Arctic Ocean. His story was discredited, but it is 
said that several hunters went with him next day to prove it, 
and were overcome with awe and almost with terror at the 
sight. They brought away clumsy and ponderous utensils, 
and the assertion is made that scientists and other investiga- 
tors have gone to the mouth of Porcupine River to convince 
themselves. 



130 In Quest of the Quaint. 

was known in olden times, and after a prodigious 
storm and earthquake it sank into the sea. The phan- 
tom still haunts Le Eocher Perce, keeping watch over 
good sailors, but luring evil ones to destruction on 
these capes and wild shores. 

Though the two friends still found plenty to in- 
terest them, their peculiar associate and Jehu amused 
them because of his impatience at his own inability 
to converse with some of the people; a fact which he 
attributed entirely to their dullness, not to want of 
comprehension. " IsTo matter how loud he might 
shout at them, they ivouIdnH understand." He, 
therefore, declared, " That irrigates me, and when 
yous two ain't round to interpretate for me I might 
zwell sit dum 'z stone. And when yous does come 
they kin talk tu wanst, all right, and that disencour- 
ages me too. When one o' them fellers attackted me 
with his lingo I was just nowhar. I don't see what's 
the use of having such a no 'count, no talk speech as 
that." 

Ferland says : " Les Paspebiacs ne seraient cer- 
tainement pas des ornements dans un salon; pour la 
science et pour les lettres ils figuraient assez triste- 
ment a cote d'un Arago ou d'un Chateaubriand. lis 
paraissent vifs et emportes et cependant ils sont tou- 
jours prets a rendre service; ils par lent avec vehe- 
mence et a tue-tete, de sorte qu'on les croirait faches, 
tandis qu'ils se disent des douceurs. Un Paspebiac 
crie-t-il a son voisin, ' Taise-toi ou je t'enforce un 
croc dans le gau,' il lui fait un compliment qu'on 
n'addresse qu'aux plus intimes amis." But that was 
many years ago; the manners of the " Jersiais," as 
they are called, have improved since. 

The fishy and tarry atmosphere of this shore in- 
fected Cahill, and in his studies among the toilers of 
the sea he picked up much piscatorial lore, and some 



Demon and Pity-us. 131 

bits of superstition, so natural among sea-faring peo- 
ple. Thus he learned that all species of fish have the 
habit of suddenly appearing or disappearing from any 
part of the ocean without any apparent reason, her- 
ring being most noted for this; those Bedouins, or 
vagabonds of the sea, as they might be called, appear 
in stupendous shoals in certain places, remaining 
sometimes for several days, then in an hour will van- 
ish utterly. Myriads fall a prey to the voracious 
maws of monsters of the deep, and possibly some 
form of fishy telegraphy gives warning of the ap- 
proach of their enemies, hence their migrations, 
though, said Jonquil, " This wouldn't serve Mr. Had- 
dock, he being proverbially deaf." It is a well-known 
fact that if, through carelessness or overweighting, 
a net is broken and herring being killed thereby sink 
to the bottom, their fellows avoid that spot in fu- 
ture. In 1884 a stupendous school of mackerel ap- 
peared in the English Channel, causing a rushing 
sound like a heavy sea; the people would not buy 
them, even for a trifle, or take them to use as ma- 
nure and the Cornish fishermen (who deserve remem- 
brance by the S. P. C. A.) carried 30,000 far from 
shore and restored them to their native element. 
The superstitions of fishermen are curious. When 
fishing it will never do to talk of pigs, — could there 
be tradition among the finny denizens of the deep 
about the herd of swine which were driven into the 
sea ? " Probably," said Cahill, " they are not so 
fond of deviled ham as I am ! " A good fishing 
ground is spoiled if a church is built near, for fish 
don't like churches. " Naturally," said the jolly 
artist, " and here the weeks are reckoned in the or- 
der in which fish is served. See that odd figure over 
there, how plainly he &aja: 



132 In Quest of the Quaint. 

" ' We scale, we split, we salt, we dry ; 
We bake, we boil, we broil, we fry; 
Tho' many " queer fish " here you see. 
Don't count us in that category.' " 

On the coast of England and Sweden tlie people 
believe that fish object to the sound of bells and will 
travel far to get beyond hearing of them. Clergy- 
men are obnoxious to the denizens of the deep; not 
long ago, in Lancashire, when the pastor of a seaboard 
parish remonstrated with the men for non-attendance 
at church, the fishermen met on the beach and 
burned the parson in efiigy, to propitiate the fish ! It 
seems that for women they have particular dislike. 
In Skye, if a woman goes out on the water during the 
fishing that catch is spoiled ; there'll be no luck at all, 
and the fish will be dished prematurely. In Germany 
a woman must not even touch the nets, unless she 
first repeats the Lord's Prayer; in Lapland, also, this 
belief is common. Why women should exert such 
sinister influence no one can surmise.* 

Much of this important information was imparted 
by Jonquil on their daily drives or water-trips. The 
Indians interested him and he declared that, being of 
Scotch-Irish ancestry, he felt a special affinity for the 
Micmacs. 

Famous among sportsmen are the Gaspe canoes, 
which are made by an almost extinct tribe, the Mou- 
tagnais (descendants of the Souriquois), at the reser- 
vation of St. Marjorique. These boats, shaped like 
the bark canoe, have frames of ash or oak, covered 
with thin cedar. 

* No savant has been able to account for or explain the 
movements of the mackerel ; they are literally " here to-day, 
gone to-morrow," and after appearing with the regularity of 
clock-work, on certain coasts, vanish as absolutely as if they 
had never been seen there. 



Demon and Pity-us. 133 

Tor a last evening on the water the trio embarked, 
though Tim called attention to the fact that there 
was " a circumstance around the moon/' evidently 
considering that such remarkable phenomenon boded 
no good. His strong arms, however, propelled their 
bewitching craft over the placid water, and soon car- 
ried them far beyond the towering Rocher Perce. 
Then far over the water floated sweet, flute-like 
strains from a voice warbling a plaintive old song of 
the French habitans; the enunciation being so clear, 
the tones so artistically projected, that even the 
words could be distinguished by the listening trio; 
the oarsman at silent signal from Cahill having halted 
the fairy craft. The grave and quiet physician, who 
had been reclining and apparently deeply absorbed in 
thought, suddenly sat erect as if electrified, listening 
with utmost intensity. His lips at first tightly com- 
pressed, parted; unconsciously he breathed a name, 
and whispered, " That voice ! — here ? Should I not 
know it even in another world ? Yet, it cannot be ! " 
It was only the matter-of-fact and unromantic Tim 
who heard and pondered, when his vis-a-vis, with a 
sigh, threw himself back and dropped his head on his 
hands, as the mysterious voice died away in the dis- 
tance. To the bird of night, however, had come a 
sudden flash of illumination; that name, whispered 
scarce audibly, — where had he heard it ? Yes ; in the 
pathetic entreaties, imploring utterances of a de- 
lirious man in the preceding winter ; and the recollec- 
tion impelled the boatman to more vigorous effort, as 
he skillfully guided his craft in the direction whence 
the voice had come. Even Cahill had been lost in 
artistic dreaming, but now seemed to come to himself 
and realize that something had strangely stirred his 
friend, though he wisely said nothing. And then the 
mist, which had been unnoticed as it gradually gath- 



134 In Quest of the Quaint. 

ered around them, became more dense, as the fog in 
fleecy folds rolled in from the sea, obscuring the 
moon and almost obliterating the gTeat rock, until 
they were directly under its wall. If the other boat 
had passed under the arch, so likewise did this, but 
the maid of the mist had vanished as if she were the 
veritable phantom of that singular freak of nature; 
and the trio stepped ashore in silence, the Owl re- 
marking, a propos of nothing, apparently: " Shadders 
we are, shadders we pursoos." Whether or not Stur- 
gis fancied himself misled by a freak of the imagina- 
tion, he made no effort to discover the owner of the 
voice, and put no obstacle in the way of their return 
to Gaspe. 

Singularly reticent was Tim, chary of wise re- 
marks and interesting observations during the return 
drive; and after they were again settled at the pleas- 
ant port, he seemed generally absorbed in profound 
thought, and absented himself, except at such times 
as his duties required his attendance on his employ- 
ers. Then came a sudden and fierce storm, during 
which the air was filled with the roar of angry surges 
tumbling on the outer shores, while even the olive- 
leaden waters of Basin and Bay were greatly trou- 
bled. The trio were compelled to solace themselves 
within doors until the storm had spent its greatest 
fury, when they would brave the elements sufficiently 
to visit Cap Rosier, whose awful promontory, rising 
900 feet above the sea, was encircled, — as far as eye 
could reach into the mist, — with foam from the lash- 
ing surges tumbling at its base. It was at this point 
that the French outposts first saw Wolfe's fleet on its 
way to Quebec; here an emigrant ship was wrecked, 
and the superstitious fishermen declare that on 
stormy nights the ghosts of those who then perished 
reinhabit the poor drowned bodies, and enact again 



Demon and Pity-us. 135 

all the distressing scenes of the shipwreck, rending 
the air with their shrieks. 

One day Tim informed his employers that one of 
his old acquaintances among the shore folk had met 
with his death in the storm, — the grandeur of which 
had so impressed them, — the boat with the poor fish- 
erman's body having been cast ashore on the Cape. 
It transpired that Tim had been working in a quiet 
way as self-constituted temperance advocate among 
the salts, and had remonstrated with this one, en- 
deavoring to show the poor fellow the wrong he was 
doing to his family as well as himself. " I tell you," 
said he, " there ain't no porticos tied up with gold 
chains hangin' at their parlor door, and no bic-bracks 
or what-dj'er-callums stuck up around them rooms; 
they're orful poor. Only fer his wife's bein' such a 
heartsome woman I'd never took no interest in him, 
he was such a mizzible case. An' how he'd talk ! oh, 
scissors! — ^in our argymints he'd talk fifteen to the 
dozen, and nothing in what he said; and he was get- 
ting that nervous from drink seem'd like zif he'd 
squirm into a teapot and out at the nose, as they used 
to say where I was brung up. Said he had somethin' 
like dropasy, and had to take somethin' fur it ; I said, 
' Yes, a drop I see too much, very often.' The other 
fellers used to help him some, coz of his family; but 
as for him, he was coarse-grained. I said he ' hadn't 
no grain at all, fur'z I could see, — was all chaff.' 
Well, so long as the Doctor here has engaged me 
regular as his coachman when he goes back, I've told 
the widder I'll 'dopt one o' her boys, and she 'greed 
to it, an' says it'll be a great constellation to her." 
(" Ursa Minor ! " ejaculated Cahill in parenthesis.) 
" There's a hard lookout ahead for 'em here," con- 
tinued Tim, " and after my boy gets his edgycashun 
— fer I'll give him what I didn't get — I'll send him 




\\ s: 



Demon and Pity-us. 137 

to the IdeniicsH College, and set him up vath. a perse- 
shnn." 

This long preamble led to the information that the 
summer guests of the village had arranged to give a 
concert for the benefit of the destitute family, and of 
course Doctor and Artist must help swell the audi- 
ence and the receipts. A fine new barn was to serve 
as music hall, and was decorated mth young firs and 
trailing vines in effective manner; and it was proved 
that quite a creditable progi'anmie could be produced, 
even at such short notice, and in such an unfashion- 
able resort. The interest of the occasion culminated 
in the appearance of the star of the evening, a tall, 
fair, gTaceful woman, whose finely trained voice en- 
thralled the audience. As an encore, and in compli- 
ment to the French people, she sang one of their old 
songs, in which a favorite theme (" beautiful eyes ") 
naturally figures. 

Seated at a little distance from the two friends 
Tim riveted his gaze on Sturgis at the appearance of 
the fair unknown; and he nodded sagely as of one 
who would say, " I know it; I told you so," for be- 
hold the young physician's face had become pallid 
and set as if carved in marble, though he listened 
breathlessly to the voice which it required no bird of 
wisdom to tell him that they had heard so recently at 
Perce. When the audience, well pleased with such a 
rare treat, were dispersing, Sturgis, as if impelled by 
irresistible force, made his way to the lady; and Tim 
at the same moment appearing beside Cahill hurried 
him out of the buildings, the artist perceiving that 
there was a mystery, and ready to be enlightened. 
The astute Tim made a significant gesture towards 
two tall figures which the moonlight revealed moving 
away in opposite direction, so entirely absorbed in 
*ach other as to have forgotten all else apparently, 



138 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



and Tim exclaimed, excitedly, " I thought you was 
knowing to it; but it don't make no odds, it's all right 
now, I'm sure. This wan't no happenstance, and my 
Doctor'U he happy now, an' he deserves to be " ; then, 
with a chuckle, " I had a hand in it, and the largest 
hand too ! " — as he spread and waved that sizable 
member before the eyes of the amused but satisfied 
artist. 

LES BEAUX YEUX. * 

("BeaatifuIEyes.") 

— ft- ,\ ,\ - 



^ 



s 



1^--N- 



:^--A: 



-^—wh 



Les yeux noirs brillant, etin- eel - le, Les yeux bleus sont 
Ah, black eyes are brilliant and shining, But blue eyes are 



J-M-^-^-^- --f^-^r^ 


^^-W'tN^ 


-#— 1 — i — S' s- 


g^^-^-b-rr^ 


5-r^ • t3 


^-J-J-J^J"- 



tendre et doux; Dans leurs dispute 6 - ternelle Preten- 
tender and dear; For the dark eyes man e' er would be pining, Yet the 



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dent r^gner seuls sur nous. Chacun voudrait la pre - fer- 
blue he would always wish near. Their dispute is unending, e- 






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en - ce L'un parle pour, et 1' autre contre; Enfin ce pro- 
ternal; In turn each would hold one in thrall, Love alone in this 




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ces et importance Se - ra jug^ que pari' amour, 
contest su- per- nal Can decide which shall reign over all. 



Demon and PUy-us. 



139 



LES BEAUX YEUX. * 

Les yeux noirs brillant, gtincelles, 

Les yeux bleus sont tendres et 
doux : 
Dans leurs disputes eternelles 

Pretendent regner seals sur nous. 
Chacuu voudrait la preference 

L'un parle pour, et I'autre contra ; 
Enfln ce proc6s et importance 

Sera juge que par I'amour. 



BEAUTIFUL EYES. 

Ah ! black eyes are brilliant and 
shining, 
But blue eyes are tender and dear ; 
For the dark eyes, man e'er would be 
pining. 
Yet the blue he would wish always 
near. 
Their dispute is unending, eternal ; 
In turn each would hold one in 
thrall, 
Love alone in this contest supernal 
Can decide which shall reign over 
all. 



Jamais proc6s et 1' audience 

N'avait cause tant et embarras 
Les noirs, les bleus, pour leur 
defences 

Avaient de nombreux avocats. 
Pour temoins les baisers de flamme, 

Pour defenseurs mille soupirs, 
Pour preuve les troubles de I'ame, 

Et pour apporter leurs dfisirs. 



Sure never among us poor mortals 
Was e'er such continued dispute, 
From the dawning of life to its 
portals 
Those eyes speak, yet ever are mute. 
One's glance thrills like ardor-flamed 
kisses, 
Another's calls forth thousand 
sighs ; 
The soul amidst rapturous blisses 
Is tossed, as on waves, by those eyes ! 



Les noirs sont sujets au caprice. 

On ne peut les voir sans danger ; 
Les bleus n'ont point tant d'artiflce, 

lis sont moins exposes S. changer. 
Dans les noirs j'ai mis mon delire, 

Dans les bleus ma tendre langeur ; 
L'fisprit dans les yeux noirs respire, 

Puis dans les bleus c'est la douceur. 



Dark eyes may be changeful, capri- 
cious, 
(In danger thou art, e'en to view !) 
The\>lue may be restful, delicious, 
One beholds them with joy ever 
new. 
One swoons in those shadows un- 
measured, 
In azure deeps, langorous, rests ; 
Brunette's glance is ardently trea- 
sured : 
Though flyingto Blondine's behest. 



L'amour terminent leur querelle 

Par un trait judicieux, 
Avec les yeux noirs on est belle. 

On est belle avec les yeux bleus. 
Les bleus marquent plus de tendresse, 

Les noirs plus de vivacite ; 
Les noirs annoncent la finesse, 

Les bleus annoncent la bonte. 



The one to decide this contention 

Is he before whom all must bow. 
'Tis Love, and that Judge's invention 

Is this ; then his flat hear now ! 
Those paramount, if you'd discover 

— Tho' searching the wide world 
around — 
Are those wherein each ardent lover 

His own love returned sure has 
found ! 



'•'This, and "Les Yeux Bleus" are not among the oldest songs of the habi- 
tans and French-Canadians ; they might have been issued about fifty years 
ago, and probably could not be found now in print. (I have not tried to make 
literal translations of any of the songs. ) 



Veuve Champromis. 



VEUVE CHAMPEOMIS. 



In lachrymose mood was " Ste. Cecile du Bic"; 
and, as the gray mists blotted out the landscape, the 
mental mercury of a certain sportsman seemed to 
sink to zero, as he alighted from the train and be- 
held such discouraging prospect. Within the quaint 
and neat houses, however, cheer and comfort were 
to be found, and the traveler's spirits rose as he sur- 
veyed the interior of his abiding-place. The floors, 
painted bright yellow, were strewn with gayest home- 
made rugs ; the window shades, starched stiff as paper, 
were made ornate, according to the taste of the habi- 
tans, by semi-circular plaitings at the lower edge, 
like foolscap fans made by school children. The 
stove, a curious structure, was set into an opening in 
the partition between two rooms, thus presenting 
broadsides to adjoining apartments, — an ingenious 
arrangement for economizing heat, — and in summer 
screened by hangings of bright cretonne. A south- 
east gale was blowing, trying its best to twist to 
breaking the sturdy and prim poplars, — those ar- 
boreal grenadiers so appropriate to the foreign-seem- 
ing village, — and threatening to lift the wide-curving 
roofs as it whistled under their broad eaves. 

Towards evening the wind suddenly shifted to the 
northwest, the cloud curtain lifted sufficiently to re- 
veal a broad band of gold above the water, and to 
permit the sun's javelins to shoot out beneath; thus 
revealing to the stranger's view, as he stepped out on 
the '' galerie," every detail of the landscape. What 



144 In Quest of the Quaint. 

a picture met his gaze ! Capes, islands, — one shaped 
precisely like a havstack peeping over a near roof, — 
and the mountains inland; the eye gloated on the 
scene. 

Opposite to Pecheur Melilotte's stood a rather 
more elegant domicile, whose broad eaves sretched 
widely enough to be supported on rustic pillars, form- 
ing a pleasant piazza or galerie. This instantly ab- 
sorbed the stranger's gaze, causing him to decide that 
the French village might prove to have great allure- 
ments after all; for upon this galerie there soon ap- 
peared a lithe and graceful figure, which, with its 
brilliant eyes, floating ringlets, warm coloring and 
tasteful, though extremely simple, attire, might have 
attracted attention anywhere. 

By means of wary questions Mr. Hugh Cresswell 
learned of Melilotte that his respected " voisine " was 
Veuve Champromis, and the demoiselle, the vision 
of the galerie, her niece Felicie. If the astute ob- 
server who is so likely to be on hand at such times 
had at this juncture put in an appearance, he would 
have become convinced of the diaphanous nature of 
the yoimg stranger's manoeuvres, whereby he endeav- 
ored to obtain the acquaintance of fair Felicie. 
Through letters from business houses in Montreal in- 
troducing him, Melilotte was inveigled into presenta- 
tion of Cresswell to Mme. la Veuve, and she, in time, 
seemed to permit, though she did not encourage, the 
beginning of acquaintance with the young girl, who 
also seemed singularly indifferent to the man's efforts 
to interest her. This served to put him upon his 
mettle, for he had " laid the flattering unction to his 
soul " that he was rather a fascinating person. 

He seemed to find it easier to win the good opinion 
of Veuve Champromis, — a fine, strong character, 
with quite the air of a dame of the old regime, — and 



o 





^fie^^:;;s*msi'>^m<^'^' 



■^j: ^,i*^^f^v^ 



A French-Canadian Inn. 



Veuve Champromis. 



145 



finally it seemed that the niece could no longer Avith- 
stand such assiduous efforts, for she became more gra- 
cious. As the young man was absent during the 
days, and the girl probably engaged in household af- 
fairs, it happened that their meetings had always been 
in the twilight, — a dangerous time, as many people 
know, — when, on the piazza, with the old woman en- 
gaged at her knitting close by, they engaged in con- 
verse on various topics, and Cresswell exerted him- 
self to the utmost to exercise his blandishments. 

Thus it came about that the youth waxed confi- 
dential, some persons seeming to have such tendency 
at those seductive hours " between light and dark." 
Felicie was made acquainted with the fact that he 
maintained a correspondence with an entrancing 
young lady then in Europe, the wily one even reading 
to her portions of the letters; this to show the bril- 
liant style of the epis- 
tles as proving the 
writer a superior per- 
son, and also his irre- 
sistibility. Of course 
the unsophisticated 
country girl could not 
see through such trans- 
parent diplomacy, and 
Hr. Hugh would gain 
an immense advantage 
in thus impressing her. 
Could it be ? Yes ! 
The fair Felicie turned 
away with a sigh now 
and then, and her color 
rose or faded as she lis- 
tened; all of which as- 
sured the interesting 




OVEN IN A FRENCH-CANADIAN VILLAGE. 



146 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Cresswell of a new conquest, and induced him 
to essay the crowning test, — ^the production of a 
photograph of the absent one, and the assurance that 
it was the resemblance of this fair maid to that one, 
which had first made him resolve to know her. 

" 'Twas ever thus ! " What forlorn widower has 
not won the second mate by such assurance ? — she 
reminded him so much of his lost one, in whom he 
was perfectly wrapped up, as every one knew ; though 
an unprejudiced observer Avould declare they were as 
unlike as day and night. " So runs the world away," 
and therefore of course the fair unknown was seen 
in the picture possessed of smooth, lustrous locks, 
sleekly brushed away from her face, thin spirituelle 
countenance, and eyes of no particular character 
which looked out through " pince-nez " ; whereas the 
gypsyish French Canadian's graceful head was cov- 
ered with luxuriant ringlets, her face, though fine in 
feature, showed more rounded contour, and the large 
dark eyes were fairly scintillant. The man did ad- 
mit, in spite of these discrepancies, apparently invisi- 
ble to him, that there was one distinct dissimilarity; 
she had not that bewitching lisp, which made Fe- 
licie's French still more attractive than it might have 
been otherwise. 

The fair Canadienne seemed to be on the best of 
terms with the other young girls, her neighbors, 
though had they been more used to the ways of the 
world they might have been jealous of her charms, 
which won for her the all-absorbing attention of the 
fine-looking sportsman, as well as a large share of the 
less polished gallantry of the village youths, on their 
excursions and jours des fetes. The stranger was sur- 
prised at her more elegant language and pronuncia- 
tion, her general air of better education; but allusions 



Veuve Champromis. 



147 



made by the other girls to her school days in Quebec 
accounted for this. 

Finally the gallant stranger had positively assev- 
erated that his fair foreign correspondent had quite 
faded from his memory, and, if he had not yet 
asserted that the fascinating Felicie had completely 
supplanted her, it was only that he awaited suitable 
opportunity for such disclosure. He listened en- 
tranced to all that Felicie said, and found the legend- 
ary lore of the neighborhood a particularly interest- 
ing study, when she became raconteur; as, for in- 
stance, when they had climbed one of the hills in late 




A habitan's hay cart. 

afternoon, and were surveying the islands of the St. 
Lawrence. ^Noticing the similarity in shape of many 
of the isles and headlands, resembling animals crouch- 
ing, ready to spring, he learned that these are the 
dogs of Glooscap. When the Odin of the aborigines 
sailed away from the Basin of Minas in his stone 
canoe they sprang to meet him as he entered the har- 
bor en route to his own wild realm of the Saguenay, 
but with a wave of the hand the Indian god turned 
them to stone, thus to remain until all the world is 
at peace, and only then will they return to life and 
their proper shape again. 



148 In Quest of the Quaint. 

Then Cresswell asked about L'Esprit du Bois, the 
mysterious visitant of the ravine beyond the village, 
reported by farm-hands and fishermen, and firmly be- 
lieved by them to be superhuman; but Felicie, it 
seemed, had not heard of this, but only expressed de- 
sire to behold the marvelous phantom of those som- 
bre shades, and related instead the story (partly his- 
toric, partly legendary), of L'lle du Massacre in the 
harbor; where in a cave two hundred Micmacs were 
entrapped by Iroquois, who built a great fire at the 
cavern's mouth, and shot down one by one their ene- 
mies as they were forced to emerge to escape suffo- 
cation. In the moaning of the tide, the sighing of the 
wind, do not their descendants to this day believe that 
the unquiet spirits protest at their treacherous tak- 
ing off ? 

Mr. Cresswell' s vacation was drawing to a close, 
and, his business requiring his return by a certain 
time, for a last holiday the Saguenay excursion was 
proposed. Veuve Champromis and her lovely charge 
agreed to meet the party of young residents of Bic, 
who duly betook themselves to Riviere-du-Loup, 
where, while awaiting the great steamboat, they vis- 
ited the fine cascade, of which Champlain speaks as 
" a very pleasant river, extending some twenty 
leagues into the interior, Avhich I called St. Suzanne." 
(The present name is derived from the seal, the loup- 
marin, which frequent these waters.) 

Steadily across the wide expanse of the grand high- 
way of Canada, — ^thirty miles wide at this point, — 
steered the great vessel, towards a break in the moun- 
tain chain, and, as the golden glory deepened into 
vivid scarlet, seemed to enter the very portals of sun- 
set. While halting at L'Anse a I'Eau the crescent 
hanging above the wild rocky heights shone out 
brightly, apparently reaching over to see its own sil- 



Veuve Champi'omis. 149 

ver reflection in the black water; and the shadows of 
night gathered aronnd the daring intruders who thus 
entered the region of mystery and wonder, the Iron 
Gate of the North; where, in 1643, the first explorer, 
Jean Francois de la Roque, Lord of Roberval, entered 
never to return. 

Veuve Champromis remained constantly near her 
charge, but was not an obtrusive guardian, and as the 
vessel moved steadily and stately into the silence of 
the cold starlit night, the young Bicquois entreated 
Felicie to relate a legend of the strange and awful 
river, her pleasantly modulated tones, and the pretty 
foreign tongue, giving the weird tale a peculiar 
charm. 

THE titan's BEIDE. 

Thousands of years ago this region was more beau- 
tiful than a dream; the heights covered with magni- 
ficent trees, the slopes with verdure. Flowers 
bloomed in profusion in the glens, and the glad carol 
of myriads of birds filled the air with melody. 
Balmy airs laden with perfume floated languidly 
over the scene. Here lived the King of the Titans, 
who, dying childless, left his realm in turmoil because 
of a dispute between the leaders of two rival factions, 
each of whom considered himself the only proper 
aspirant to the throne. 

The laws of the giants provided that in such a case 
as this the kingdom should fall to the lot of one who 
could succeed in securing for a wife the handsomest 
woman among the dwellers on earth, though she 
must not be of the Titan race. The disputants, who 
had almost come to blows when the decree was pro- 
mulgated, suspended hostilities, and the rivals set out 
in opposite directions upon their quest, traveling to 
the uttermost parts of the world. Finally in the most 



150 In Quest of the Quaint. 

distant realm they met, botii haVing been drawn 
thither by the report of a princess the renown of 
whose marvelous beauty had been spread all over the 
globe. 

JSTaturally this " daughter of the gods, divinely tall 
and most divinely fair," had troops of suitors already, 
among them being two who were specially favored by 
this exquisite being; and now a great council was 
called to decide what should be done, and all the 
mighty potentates of the land sat in solemn conclave 
for many days and nights. Though the Titans were 
so powerful, and could easily carry off the fair crea- 
ture, their laws would not permit of such proceeding, 
but the wondrous beauty must be allowed free choice. 
It was decided that the princess must first see the 
distant realm whence the strangers had come; there- 
fore, accompanied by the two suitors from among her 
people who had found most favor in her sight, she 
was to travel to the domains of the giants, and there, 
deciding between the merits of the four, choose one 
for her husband. 

Meanwhile dreadful events were taking place in 
the Saguenay region. There were at this period good 
and evil spirits dwelling about all rivers, streams and 
lakes. The good genii worked on behalf of the 
Titans by causing beneficent moisture to rise from the 
waters, making the land fertile, producing favoring 
winds, and assisting their masters in traversing the 
country by means of these waterways. The evil 
spirits endeavored to counteract this by causing con- 
trary winds, opposing currents in the streams, and 
seasons of drought over the land, so there was endless 
contention and strife. 

At last, in a terrific conflict in the Saguenay gorge, 
near Tadousac, the evil spirits became victorious, but 
«ould not exterminate the good spirits, for these lat- 



Veuve Champromis. 151 

ter saved themselves by assuming the form of white 
whales. Only the leader of the wicked spirits can 
behold the white whales without being annihilated, 
consequently the evil genii became exterminated by 
the spectacle, and their king, being able to travel only 
by water, is held prisoner in this river, as he cannot 
pass the whale gaiard at its mouth. This battle of the 
contending giants was the cause of a war of the ele- 
ments; thunder crashed in astounding detonations, 
every peal repeated ten times from the towering 
crags, while bolts fell seething into the Stygian 
stream, or caused the forests to burst into flame, and 
the earth to heave in agony. 

In the midst of this direful tempest, more ap- 
palling than imagination could picture, the princess, 
in company with her two lovers and the two giants, 
had just reached a point not far from Cape Trinity, 
and endeavored to find shelter. After raging many 
days, however, the storm culminated in the destruc- 
tion of the giants and all their race ; also the princess 
and her lovers. 

The good spirits, compassionating the death of the 
beauteous being, caused the one whom she would 
have favored to be turned to stone and placed like a 
monstrous sentinel at the entrance of a cavern, within 
which, one thousand feet above the black wat^r, the 
princess sleeps until the world shall be destroyed. 
This monumental or statue-rock fell through the ice 
many years ago, and when into this stem region 
comes a mortal who has attained perfection, and so 
can annihilate the king of the evil spirits (still held 
prisoner by the white whales), then this dreary, bar- 
ren region will again blossom like the rose. 

Long ere this the young moon had disappeared be- 
hind vast walls of black rock, the stars shone out with 



152 In Quest of the Quaint. 

peculiarly remote and cold light. Their young com- 
panions at this point withdrew into the cabin, and 
Veuve Champromis apparently dozed, with her head 
leaning against a window frame. The young man 
impetuously urged Felicie to take " just two or three 
turns on the deck," before she went, and then, no 
longer resisting the spell which had seemed to be 
more and more closely enchaining him, began to pour 
passionate protestation and appeal into the fair girl's 
ear. 

It was not inaptly timed, and seemed an auspicious 
moment for a declaration, — (Mr. Cresswell had an 
eye for effect, and had calculated on this), — but the 
demoiselle was non-committal, answering apparently 
half jestingly, half in earnest; endeavoring to check 
his impassioned utterances. At last she replied seri- 
ously, although seeming to yield to a peculiarly 
whimsical fancy, asseverating that she would consult 
" L'Esprit du Bois " on their return. Though baf- 
fled and puzzled, with his eloquent asseverations ab- 
ruptly checked, the man did not lose confidence, but 
rather sought to give the impression that he gained 
thereby, as he playfully reminded his fair companion 
that " the woman who deliberates is lost." At this 
juncture the elderly guardian roused herself and 
marshaled her fair charge to their room, Cresswell 
being left alone to think it all over, to study astron- 
omy, certain that his lucky star was among those scin- 
tillators, or to resign himself to the care of Morpheus. 

The steamer ploughed steadily on through the 
dark, still night, and sunrise found them anchored at 
the point known to the Indians as Hesknewaska 
(Ha-ha Bay), where a strange, wild scene greeted the 
view. The sky was covered with flying scud; just 
above the horizon a lurid and angry-looking band of 
yellow and red stretched back of the promontories 



Veuve Champromis. 153 

guarding the opening of this curious elbow of the 
river, the colors reflected in tossing wavelets, and, 
nearer, merging into olive tints and greenish-gray, 
like molten metal. Onward the steamer went to the 
pretty town at the head of navigation (which seems 
out of place in this remote region), and thence retrac- 
ing her course, passed down the mighty gorge. 

From the now leaden sky, occasionally a sorrowful 
little shower drifted over the heights. Vast masses of 
rock looming up on either shore wore no warm color, 
but were all stern gray, — granite, hard as iron, look- 
ing particularly cold with its thin growth of stunted 
trees, — and the scene bore a hard, severe aspect, 
which, however, seemed fitting, and enhanced the 
sense of solitude and loneliness. Occasional pale, 
watery gleams broke through the clouds, but one 
could hardly imagine a brilliantly blue and sunny sky 
arching the prodigious chasm; it would seem incon- 
graous. Even those among the party who had 
seemed the most light-hearted became subdued and 
awed by the majestic grandeur and wonder of their 
surroundings, and a solemn hush fell on all. The 
sense of awe became almost oppressive as each one 
gazed on the towering and bare storm-scarred cliffs. 
Then the echoes, carrying to most distant ravines and 
gorges the sounds of the vessel, repeated, augmented 
and exaggerated the hissing of the steam, the puffing 
of the engines, the dashing of the paddle-wheels, un- 
til all the wild chasms and rocky fastnesses seemed 
filled with unimagined goblins protesting at such in- 
trusion. Steaming steadily onward, leaving the 
grandest heights far in the distance, it appeared most 
fitting that the showers should become more frequent 
and persistent, dropping successive curtains of gray, 
until the weird region thus faded from sight and en- 
veloped itself more securely in the mystery which for 



154 In Quest of the Quaint. 

a short time the voyagers had ventured to penetrate. 
Later, on emerging into the greater river, behold 
sunshine and soft breeze, with a long swell from the 
gulf, imparting a slow, dreamy, soothing swing to the 
vessel. The passengers seemed relieved from a 
strange spell as they thus came back to the world 
again. 

Cresswell, with the impatient ardor of a lover, 
urged his suit, and Felicie playfully dared him to 
accompany her to consult " L'Esprit du Bois," de- 
claring that only then would she redeem her promise 
and give her answer. Through the pine woods weird 
and dark the wind sighed eerily; struggling moon- 
beams sifted through the branches: an appropriate 
spot it was for spectral manifestations. Felicie, en- 
veloped in a long black cloak, accompanied by her 
faithful shadow Champromis, indicated a point where 
Cresswell must station himself at one tree, and she 
would do likewise at a little distance, whence they 
could behold the apparition at a cleared space just 
beyond. Sombre and black stood the stately pines. 
Some, hung with moss, were bearded like Capuchins ; 
and beyond them again stood great silver birches in 
spectral array, the moonlight, slanting through dark 
branches, shimmering on their white trunks. 

Then, indeed, Cresswell started, and experienced a 
singular thrill as he became aware of a white figure 
moving towards the clearing, at which place it 
paused, clearly revealed in the moonlight. A mass 
of waving dark hair was held back from the face by 
a band of sparkling gems, sleeves of a clinging robe 
in Grecian style fell away from beautifully rounded 
graceful arms, and classic sandals covered dainty feet. 
The phantom waved its arms, reaching out as in earn- 
est entreaty; it knelt and drooped as in abject de- 
spair; it posed and gesticulated, posturing entranc- 



Veuve Champromis. 155 

ingly. Cresswell beheld as if spellbound, hardly dar- 
ing to breathe deeply, so fearful was he of dispelling 
the vision. Finally, as if impelled by irresistible 
force, he rushed forward with outstretched arms, ex- 
claiming, in tones in which amazement, doubt, en- 
treaty, ecstasy, were strangely mingled, " Alethea ! '^ 
Then the vision spoke, in clear, cold tones, enuncia- 
ting: "Claire, Felicie; Alethea le Mesurier, whom 
you once knew as Althea Masury." 

The man could not find words with which to ques- 
tion the fair being, and she, seating herself on a 
fallen tree, as if fearful that her strength would be 
taxed by the recital, prefaced her explanation by dis- 
playing in her slender palm a tiny white pebble, of 
which she remarked, " I have classic authority for 
producing a lisp." 

" Her letters continuing to come from abroad ? " 
" Oh, that was easily managed; they were sent to a 
schoolmate traveling there, who posted them from 
various points. Before her departure she had be- 
come somewhat doubtful of the absolute sincerity of 
a very near and dear friend. She thought absence 
might prove a test, but incontrovertible evidence of 
his faithlessness had been sent to her there. She 
could not believe it, but resolved to prove to herself. 
During this time she had endured a slow and wasting 
fever, from which, however, she had arisen with re- 
newed powers. Though she had been compelled to 
have her hair entirely shorn, the new gTowth had 
come in ambrosial fashion, quite changing her ap- 
pearance, and a foreign oculist had effected a cure of 
weakness of the eyes, so pince-nez were discarded. 
Then, while abroad, she had decided to devote herself 
to histrionic study; and by the name unfamiliar to her 
auditor (except as he had read of her triumphs) she 
had attained a position which assured a comfortable 



156 In Quest of the Quaint. 

living for the future. She had also been enriched bv 
a large legacy which had come to her while in France 
from an eccentric relative, formerly of French 
Guiana. This woman, living like an anchorite, yet 
had a fancy for rich baubles, and had put much of 
her property into a gorgeous necklace, which she had 
collected and added to at various times during Bo- 
hemian wanderings. This had proved not such a 
senseless proceeding after all, as, at a time of mutiny 
and pillage in the East, the old woman, in simplest 
attire, with nothing in her hands, had coolly walked 
away, unquestioned and unscathed, with the string of 
gems securely covered by and wound into the coil 
of grizzled hair at the back of her head ! " 

It had seemed that the picturesque narrator had 
spoken in intense though repressed excitement. This 
reminiscence apparently amused her as she related 
it, and her tone became less cold and measured; at 
this point, however, she continued. She had prom- 
ised her faithful friend, Veuve Champromis, — her 
so-called" aunt, in reality her governess and caretaker 
in girlhood, — that she would not acknowledge her 
betrothal to Mr. Hugh Cresswell until a certain time 
had elapsed. Madame had been her chaperon and 
companion during her foreign sojourn, and Felicie, 
anxious to try her histrionic powers, had become pos- 
sessed of the fancy to return incognito and test a cer- 
tain young man. She had heard that while repre- 
senting himseK as a gentleman of wealth and leisure 
he was in reality merely a commercial traveler, who 
had a way of ingratiating himself among the unsus- 
pecting people, now and then amusing himself " win- 
ning a country heart for pastime ere he went to 
town " ; and it even was whispered that he had a wife 
over at Cap a I'Aigle. 



Veuve Cliampromis. 157 

Felicie arose, and the conscience-stricken man 
gazed speechlessly at a glittering ring which she 
dropped into his hand, as L'Esprit du Bois and the 
faithful attendant shadow vanished among the pines. 



STATISTICS OF THE SAGUENAY. 

In 1603 de Monts (Pierre du Guast) had obtained 
exclusive priAalege to trade from Terreneuve to fifty 
degrees north latitude, and equipped four vessels, one 
of which traded at Tadousac. The vessels were un- 
der the care of Champlain, who at Tadousac found 
numbers of savages who had come to sell skins. He 
minutely describes their canoes, which struck him 
Avith wonder. Charlevoix's map was creditable, and 
quite accurate for his time. Under the French gov- 
ernment the interior of Canada was better known 
than it was after the establishment of English rule. 

The region of the Saguenay and Lake St. John for- 
merly formed part of a great tract known as the 
" Domaine du Roi," and was conceded to the " Com- 
pagnie des Postes du Roi." An approximate though 
not exact estimate of its extent is made in saying 
that it stretched between forty-eight and fifty de- 
grees north latitude, and between sixty-five and sev- 
enty-four degrees west longitude; these limits con- 
tinued until 1840, " at which epoch it was handed 



158 In Quest of the Quaint. 

over to the electoral circumspection of the Province 
of Quebec." 

After the cession of Canada to the English the 
Saguenay territory continued to be cultivated some- 
what. The farmers were interested to exclude stran- 
gers as much as possible. They wished to maintain 
their monopoly, to hinder competition, to keep to 
themselves the resources of the country, and there- 
fore jealously guarded their secret whenever the re- 
newal of the lease was agitated. It was on this ac- 
count that so little was known of this territory. Even 
the various divisions of the Montagnais Indian tribes 
who roamed through the wilds, wishing to keep to 
themselves their hunting grounds, discouraged inter- 
lopers from venturing thither by representing the re- 
gion as arid, mountainous, and of frightful aspect. 

The fate of the first exploring expedition, — ^Rober- 
val's, in -1543, — " remains one of the secrets of the 
time." In 1640, twenty-seven years after the found- 
ing of Quebec, the Jesuit De Quen established a mis- 
sion at Tadousac. In 1672 Pere Albanel traveled to 
Hudson's Bay via rivers Mistassini and Rupert, a 
journey which has been made but once since by a 
European, the naturalist Michaux. This celebrated 
Erench botanist left a legacy to the American Philo- 
sophical Society of Philadelphia. In 1733 JSTorman- 
din, a surveyor, traveled to the northwest of Lake 
St. John, and " made a faithful and detailed map, 
but one copy of which is kno^wn to exist, that being 
kept in the Department of Lands of the Crown." 

The Indian name of this river was Pitchitami- 
chetz, the present title being a corruption of another 
Indian name, Saggichecus, signifying " river of preci- 
pices." From Lake St. John two streams emerge, 
which, separated by the Isle d'Alma, meet three 
leagues below, and form this strange river, which for 



Veuve Champromis. 159 

twelve leagues is " precipitated in cascades, falls and 
rapids of great turbulence," then " takes a uniform 
and regular course for seven miles above Chicoutimi, 
flowing thence to Tadousac, diverging always towards 
the east, a distance of forty leagues. The Indian 
name Shekutimish signified " far and deep." 

Erroneous ideas and statements as to the great 
depth of the river have been prevalent and generally 
accepted. " In Bouchette's ' Topographical Diction- 
ary of the Province,' he states that soundings have 
been made, showing the depth of the river to be three 
hundred and thirty fathoms, equal to nearly two 
thousand feet, an error which has been unfortunately 
too generally believed since the publication of that 
work," Soundings effected in 1830, by Captain Bay- 
field, of the English Royal Marine, correct exagger- 
ations which attribute to the Saguenay a depth of 
fifteen hundred to eighteen hundred feet, and more 
than two thousand feet in more than one place; but 
the mass of the public persist in the error which has 
become to-day a sort of tradition, and some continue, 
notwithstanding scientific demonstrations to the con- 
trary, to believe that the river is unfathomable. 
Bayfield's map shows that at the very mouth, where, 
according to common belief, bottom has not been 
found at three hundred and forty fathoms, the great- 
est depth does not exceed seventy-six fathoms, and 
that this increases successively to eighty-eight, one 
hundred and one hundred and eight fathoms in the 
space of three or four miles in ascending the river, 
until it attains its greatest depth, which is one hun- 
dred and forty-seven fathoms, between Passe Pierre 
and L'Anse St. Etienne, about five miles from Ta- 
dousac. Moreover, the depth of the Saguenay is 
extremely variable and changes suddenly; at one 
point measuring ten fathoms, and a short distance 



160 In Quest of the Quaint. 

farther on marking eighty fathoms. The depth is 
most uniform between Cape Eternity and La De- 
scente des Femmes; more than once in this distance 
it reaches one hundred and forty-five fathoms, and is 
not less than one hundred fathoms. The former 
point is thirty-nine miles, the latter forty-seven miles 
from the mouth of the river. 

The " cataclysmic theory " is that the prolonged 
gorge of the Saguenay was formed by tremendous 
convulsions of nature, which almost drained Lake St. 
John, — supposed to have been ninety leagues in 
length in former ages, — but the general belief at 
present is that it was in consequence of a gradual 
wearing away of the rock by frost, moisture and at- 
mospheric effects, though earthquake shocks may 
have assisted in some places. 

The white whales (Beluga borealis) which frequent 
the Saguenay near its confluence with the St. Law- 
rence are creatures as strange as this resort.. They 
measure fourteen to twenty-two feet in length, each 
carcass yielding over one hundred gallons of oil, 
which brings a good price in the market. On the 
coasts of Siberia and Il^ova Zembla the white whale 
fishery is an important and valuable industry, the 
huge creatures being captured by means of enormous 
and extremely strong nets. Vessels from Tromsoe 
alone secured almost three thousand in one season; 
their value being $30,000. The whale fishery has 
almost died out in the United States, though it is not 
yet quite extinct. In twenty-five years the annual 
product decreased from one hundred thousand bar- 
rels of sperm oil to forty-two thousand; whale oil, 
from three hundred thousand to thirty-five thousand ; 
and bone from five million pounds to four hundred 
thousand pounds. 



(( 



Lazy Boolmong." 



"LAZY BOOLMONa." 



" Trembling, tumbling, crumbling, falling " ; such 
is the meaning of Les Eboulements. A place of 
earthquakes and landslides ! ISTo wonder it is not 
even indicated on general maps. Probably the sig- 
nificance of the title would be sufficient warning to 
pleasure seekers to avoid the charming ISTormanesque 
region. It was, in this case, however, an enticing 
title; an alluring cognomen, when pronounced as 
above, by English residents of Quebec. In this age 
of life at high pressure there are some who must get 
out of the hurry and bustle at times, or become liable 
to a woeful giving out of faculties. Yes, that was 
the spot to aim for; there one could be lazy with an 
easy conscience, and, entering into the simple pas- 
toral life of the unsophisticated peasants, accumulate 
avoirdupois and store up strength to withstand the 
wear of winter avocations. 

As the great vessel steamed past the charming Isle 
of Orleans, Cap Tourmente, whose fine slopes and 
cerulean hue had been familiar for so long at Quebec, 
appeared in bold relief, clearly defined from base to 
summit. The quaint chronicler, Charlevoix, re- 
marks, " He that gave this name suffered here by a 
gust of wind," but angry gales were subdued to balmy 
breezes at this time. The giants of the Laurentians, 
" oldest mountains of the world," — so say scientists, 
— stand guarding the grand highway, their heads 
cloud-capped, their feet laved by the flood. The sug- 
gestion of Norway is unmistakable, even to those who 



Lazy Boolmong. 165 

have not visited that realm of Titans and Jotuns. 
After four hours of such delightsome navigation, Mt. 
Eboulements appeared, looming 2,457 feet above the 
river. Along the shore cottages are scattered, sug- 
gesting a straggling procession of penitents making 
pilgrimage to the far-away church of ISTotre Dame de 
Bonsecours on top of the mountain. As this moun- 
tain does not stand out from the range like those at 
Bay St. Paul the height is not so apparent, and may 
be at first sight disappointing. The singularly-shaped 
peaks, back of the village on the heights, resemble 
the rounded summits — called " ballons " — of that 
part of France whence these earliest settlers came. 
Two or three hundred feet above the river is a stretch 
of tolerably level farm-land, with picturesque houses, 
and barns built of logs, with thatched roofs to de- 
light an artist, while far above, apparently among the 
clouds, stands the village proper. The sides of the 
mountain are scored with deep ravines, through 
whose dark, dank clefts beautiful cascades rush down 
to the great river. The beautiful Reine des Neiges 
allures one to her mysterious seclusion, although 
there is no path, and a rough and tough scramble and 
slide must be essayed by the prospector. 

At the long wharf Monsieur awaited the summer- 
ing company with charette and quatre-roux, by 
means of which vehicles his guests were conveyed to 
an admirably located house commanding a superb 
view — Isle-aux-Coudres, Cap Corbeau jutting out be- 
yond, Mont St. Antoine and his fellows trending off 
to the southwest, " up river," gradually diminishing 
in size and fading in hue till their tints blended with 
those of the sky. 

Idyllic life, heavenly rest, absolute peace ensued; 
one could not bear the thought of return to the 
world's turmoil, and awoke each day with a renewed 



166 In Quest of the Quaint. 

sense of delight that he could stay. When sailing 
and fishing lured away the masculine members of the 
company, Mesdames les Americaines climbed the 
great mountain by quite a miniature Alpine pass to 
visit the Seigniory, or strolled along shore. Charm- 
ing and simple manners pervaded the whole com- 
munity. Barefooted urchins, on meeting the stran- 
gers, instantly doffed hats — (yes, even when " play- 
ing horse " at recess), — and in pleasant-toned voices* 
gave pretty salutation: " Dieu vous salut, Mes- 
dames," recalling the less poetic but kindly " Gottes- 
griiss " of the German peasant. 

Loom and spinning-wheel were to be seen in all the 
houses, and Madame proudly displayed the fine ma- 
terials she had woven and dyed for her winter gowns, 
— Vetoffe du pays, or homespun; and a visit to the 
queer little building in which these materials are 
pressed and trimmed was next in order. Here stood 
in olden times " le moulin du Seigneur " ; the present 
holder and worker in that edifice displayed the pro- 
cesses of grinding and bolting with justifiable pride 
in his establishment, though it looks so primitive to 
" States people " now. Decidedly oldtime-y are the 
farming implements in general, the habitan being 
conservative and devoted to his ancient methods and 
tools, though some whose sons have " gone to the 
States," or who have themselves visited manufactur- 
ing towns near the border in New England, have ven- 
tured to try hay-tedders ! JSTot larger than a bucket 
was Madame's churn, which was used on a table, its 

* The mellow, low tones of these country folk strike one at 
once, in contrast to the voices of people in general in many 
parts of the States. The cEildren even at play do not sliriek 
or shout. Scientists have remarked that city life has a dele- 
terious effect on voices, causing them to become harsh, nasal, 
high-pitched. 



Lazy Boolmong. 167 

support consisting of a horse or standard, composed 
of a bar between X ends. As it is quite possible that 
it was made of hass wood, the Scrivener assumed the 
office of Sponsor and christened it XX Pail. The 
highest praise that one could give the butter therein 
manufactured would be to say it would satisfy a 
Philadelphian, they being well known as connoisseurs 
of that article. 

Dainty and delectable were Madame's viands — 
crepes, croquignoUes, etc., the former large, thin pan- 
cakes rolled and laid in rows on a great platter; the 
latter a kind of cruller. And then the puddings, 
poultry, trout, " sardines " (otherwise smelt), fresh 
from the river ; the wild strawberries and raspberries, 
would delight an epicure. One member of the com- 
pany gravely quoted from the notorious Mrs. M. B. 
G. E. : " Grastronomic pleasure is a sensuous illusion, 
a phantasm of the mere mortal mind, which dimin- 
ishes as we go up the ladder of life," though a wicked 
twinkle in the eye implied that that person is willing 
to remain here a while longer and indulge in such 
pleasures ! To drive along the shore at low tide, 
passing around far outreaching spurs of the moun- 
tains, whose overhanging crags look as if they must 
topple and crush such daring intruders, is an expe- 
rience worth having, a sensation to be remembered. 
Thus St. Paul's Bay is reached, and voted pleasing as 
a little out-of-the-way bit of Switzerland, in minia- 
ture. 

'Tis a thoroughly French settlement, the whole 
village and its surroundings foreign seeming. Pas- 
sengers from the great river boats are deposited on a 
tiny landing-stage, — a square foundation of huge 
piles supporting a little lighthouse, — whence sail- 
boats convey them to the village, two and one-half 
miles distant. There a row of buckboards with 



168 In Quest of the Quaint. 

chaise-like bonnets over the seat, — quatre-roux, — 
stand waiting for passengers, and these peculiar vehi- 
cles, as seen from the little " cage," or wharf, are 
comically suggestive of penguins. At the Batture or 
dunes (also set down as Barachois on old maps), un- 
der the pines, was just the correct place," " pour le 
pique-nique " ; and then a return drive over the 
mountains made amply satisfying termination of the 
tour. ]Srautical phraseology seemed natural in such 
region, where the river is twenty-one miles wide and 
the people are amphibious; for instance, emharquer 
and deharquer are used when requesting one to get 
into or out of a vehicle. Madame, having been edu- 
cated in a convent, was reasonably correct in her lan- 
guage, but her maid would say, " Je vais vous en- 
macher cela, Madame," " Faut-il demancher le lit," 
" J'ai bouillante le the," etc. To the country folk 
midges are lou lohs, and the eerie cry which the 
Americans recognized as the loon — 



i^^^Hg 



was to them Jiihou. When one looked doubtfully at 
a bit of mackerel sky Madame said: " Ciel pommele 
fille fardei, ne sont pas longue duree." It is not ex- 
actly patois which these peasants speak, — the tongue 
of the " half-breed " might more properly be so des- 
ignated, — but they use archaic phraseology; their 
wording is similar to that of earliest settlers if not 
quite the same. One hears coop in place of tasse; 
fleur instead of farine; patate for pomme-de-terre. In 
some French colonies batatas means yam; and in 
others the sweet potato is called hatate. Old France 
knew nothing of the condition of life in " La Nou- 
velle France " ; savants of the olden time would have 
racked their brains over terms which they could not 



Lazy Boolmong. 169 

put into classic French. Early settlers probably in- 
vented some phrases; and words adopted from the In- 
dians were also incorporated into their speech, and 
handed down through successive generations. There 
are highly cultivated French families in Quebec who 
are quite exclusive, and pride themselves on keeping 
their language pure; but to those who have been fre- 
quent visitors to France in the present time it would 
sound as if even they had stepped out of some ancient 
book, or record of ye olden time. 

(A Japanese gentleman of the highest class and 
most finished education " talks like a book " and 
sounds old-fashioned. Though his English is per- 
fectly correct, it sounds almost strange to us, as we 
are careless in our speech; falling into the habit of 
using set phrases, incorrect terms, and colloquialisms, 
such as we constantly hear.) 

Though the great steamers constantly ply between 
Quebec, this, and more distant ports, the mail is car- 
ried by mounted rider seventy miles. To watch for 
the " postilion " is a deliciously antiquated bit of ro- 
mance to spice each day. After the carrier had de- 
posited his budget, and the contents had been sorted, 
the postmaster liked to chat with the summer guests, 
and waxed garrulous, sometimes inquisitive. He 
asked what we paid for board, probably pondering 
what inducements he might offer to summer loiterers 
next season; but each one without collusion (except 
in hastily exchanged glances) advised him tO' ask 
Madame, their hostess, to whom he is related, as, in- 
deed, haK the village seems to be, most of them bear- 
ing the same name. It is, by-the-way, appropriate to 
a region where tremhlement-de-terre is an occasional 
if not frequent visitor, and where aspens (tremhlaie) 
abound. An old French novelist and chronicler of 
La Gaspesie said: " Les Tremblay sont bien, j'en suis 



170 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



charme; ce sont de brave gens," an opinion -with 
which the Americans heartily concurred. 

Mr. Post-Meridian, as the Scrivener called him, 
grew glib of tongue as he boasted of place and peo- 
ple. He had the audacity to inquire the ages of some 
of the " dames Americaines," being amazed that they 
were unmarried, saying there were few maidens in 
the whole tripartite village over sixteen who were un- 
married ; he himself being one of a family of twenty- 
one children. Surveying one " demoiselle " criti- 




A WAYSIDE REMINDER. 



cally, with head tipped sidewise, like an elderly owl, 
he hazarded the guess, " and M'lle is perhaps 
thirty " ? Though a big hat covered some gray hairs, 
M'lle acknowledged that such might be the case, and 
had the temerity to add, " J'en ai plus que 5a," which 
quite shocked him. He replied, quite commiser- 
atingly, and in English, " It ees dretfle "; then, fear- 
ful of having disturbed the lady by his frankness, dis- 
tressed at having seemed impolite, he endeavored to 
make amends, and to soothe her supposed-to-be lac- 
erated feelings. ISToticing the alpenstock (now util- 
ized as staff of sketching umbrella) which the afore- 



Lazy Boolmong. 171 

said tourist sometimes used in climbing the ravine to 
her sojourning place he remarked, " Though jou are 
so holt " (with playfully deprecating gesture) " you 
are not so holt as to need a staff," with a triumphant 
chuckle at his brilliant pleasantry. 

In the early days of the colonies, a bounty was 
given to young men and girls under sixteen who mar- 
ried before they were twenty years old. Parents hav- 
ing more than ten children received a gratuity. This 
was revived in 1890 by Quebec, the provincial Par- 
liament giving one hundred acres to parents of twelve 
or more children. There were then two thousand 
families entitled to this. In lower Canada there are 
families of twenty-five and thirty children. Abbe 
Plinquet was the twenty-eighth child of a family of 
thirty-five; he died at the age of eighty-one. The 
Church encourages early marriages. 

After an unmistakable sensation at the edge of day 
Madame asked if her guests were not terrified at the 
" tremblement-de-terre," but was assured that it did 
not agitate them, constituting, as it did, one of the 
novelties which they had come to seek. The Incor- 
rigible remarked that in such a beautiful spot and 
such exhilarating atmosphere it was natural for Na- 
ture to indulge in ebullitions, but they had no fear of 
houleversement, although a sandy bluff not far away 
had been sliced down as if by mortal implements, and 
was imperceptibly sifting its fine gravel to the level 
land below. Madame " never could get used to it," 
though it was not so frequent, or by any means so 
heavy, as in the days of her grandparents. 

Geologists cite proofs of terrible convulsions along 
this coast, and an ancient chronicler tells of a man 
who " ran all night to escape a fissure in the earth 
which chased him," threatening every minute to en- 
gulf him. Evidently he had been imbibing fire-water. 



172 In Quest of the Quaint. 

and some of it must have been spilled in the forests, 
as the Indians asseverated that the trees reeled as if 
intoxicated. This was in 1633, when those credulous 
early settlers and narrators, — who accepted unques- 
tioningly the preposterous tales of Indians anent the 
one-legged men of the far l^orth and various hob- 
goblins of their mythology, — told of astounding spec- 
tacles. A mountain was uprooted and cast upon Isle- 
aux-Coudres, making it half as large as before ; a ter- 
rible maelstrom was formed in the river, which tum- 
bled in angry surges " white as milk," and poor old 
Mother Earth was afflicted with ague fits from May to 
August. The whirlpool of La Gouffre, at St. Paul's 
Bay, it is said, has within comparatively few years so 
filled with sand as to have lost its terrors. Neverthe- 
less, " on the up trip," leaving Les Eboulements, 
the tourists encountered, — as they had been warned 
by Quebec-ers they might, — " a longish bit of bad 
water there," when, wind and tide being at variance, 
the vessel seemed to be trying to climb mountains. 
At the queer little landing stage at St. Paul's Bay, 
three separate attempts were made to approach the 
lighthouse. At the first touch a pile was scraped off, 
at the second a Frenchman jumped aboard, leaving 
his family tragically gesticulating, evidently suppos- 
ing themselves deserted on that frightful miniature 
island; but the third attempt resulted in the family 
being reunited as the vessel sheered off and carried 
them away rejoicing. 

One member of the party, being a descendant of an 
old Dutch family of ISTew York State, became inter- 
ested in studying out the seigneurial system, and com- 
paring it with that of the Patroons, finding consider- 
able similarity. Louis XIV., who was called "the 
father of New France," introduced into Canada the 
seig-neurial system, which was abolished in 1854. Le 



Lazy Boolmong. 173 

Clerc, in an interesting old book on the " Establish- 
ment of the Faith/' says that until Louis XIV. came 
to the throne the settlers in Canada, including those 
belonging to the Church, those engaged in fur-trade 
and fisheries, and all other colonists, only numbered 
twenty-five hundred. Louis made a regular business 
of sending out settlers, mostly from the northwestern 
provinces of France. Many of the first settlers were 
soldiers, and officers were offered considerable pecu- 
niary inducement to take up their permanent abode 
in Canada. In 1665-'67 strong, sturdy peasant 
women were sent out as wives for the soldiers, and 
women of higher rank as spouses for the officers; and 
on the marriages being consummated the soldiers re- 
ceived presents of cattle, fowls, money; the officers 
grants of land, and often money also. 

The land thus given was almost invariably along 
river-courses or on the coast, — water-ways being the 
highways of the time, — and these long-drawn-out set- 
tlements or villages, as they became in time, took the 
name of the Seigneur. On the maps of the present 
time is seen Seigneurie de Beaupre, for instance. 
These villages were called Cotes, " a use of the word 
peculiar to Canada, where it still prevails," as Park- 
man says. The proprietor, or Seigneur, rented por- 
tions of the land to tenants, generally for trifling 
sums, so revenues were not large. These portions ex- 
tended in narrow strips from the shore inland, so the 
tenant had water privilege, land for culture in the 
middle, and forest in the rear. Tenants ground their 
grain at the moulin hanal, or Seigneur's mill, giving 
one-fourteenth part in payment for the use of the 
mill. The mills were built of stone, with loop-holes, 
in order that they might be used as forts in case of 
necessity. 

A peculiar old ceremony, faire foi et hommage, was 



174 In Quest of the Quaint. 

required from vassals to Seigneurs at certain inter- 
vals, or when a Seigneury descended to the next heir. 
The vassal knelt with bared head before the lord of 
the manor, repeating certain forms of words, promis- 
ing to pay his dues at proper times, to be loyal to his 
lord, and asking his master to accept his pledge of 
faith. The Seigneur himself was obliged to repair to 
Quebec at stated times, there with much show of cere- 
mony to renew his pledges, and swear fealty to his 
king. A similar system was in vogue in ISTew 
York, the Patroon being equivalent to the French 
Seigneur. The Dutch landowner was indulgent 
and careless about collecting or requiring pay- 
ment of his rents, and when at last he demanded ac- 
knowledgment of his rights, the tenants had be- 
come independent, had imbibed Republican ideas, 
and resisted, in some cases disguising themselves 
as Indians and joining the savages in depreda- 
tions from a revengeful spirit towards their Pa- 
troon. The government intervened, the courts de- 
cided the matter, and in 1846 the feudal system was 
abolished; eight years before Canada took the same 
step. Though the system was broken up in 1854 a 
feeling of loyalty towards the former lord of the 
manor still lingers among the cultivateurs and habi- 
tans. In this season, when a neighboring farmer had 
met with the loss of a barn by fire, he was consoled by 
a message from the Seigmeury to the effect that " he 
was to come up," and " one could tell what that 
meant," as he complacently hugged himself at 
thought of the forthcoming present. 

One member of the summering company, being a 
native of France, was interested in studying the status 
of the farmer, and Belle Amie was surprised to learn 
that he has no interest in politics and pays no taxes, 
although he still tenders rent to the present repre- 



Lazy Boolmong. 175 

sentative of the seigneiirial family, despite the fact 
that he owns his land himself. This is, however, vol- 
untary, and might be set down on the score of senti- 
ment, his father having been one of the original Gen- 
sitaires; and the sum is so trifling as not to deplete 
his revenues. After " the Conquest " the govern- 
ment undertook to enforce English laws, but finally 
the old French law was restored. The Independents 
asserted their opinion that instruction in English in 
the schools would have been wise at least, might have 
prevented race antagonism and prejudice in the pres- 
ent, and undoubtedly more liberal education would 
have been a great enlightenment and vast benefit to 
these worthy people, who seem so much " behind the 
times." When Belle Amie also saw Monsieur's boy 
helper with pipe in mouth almost constantly, and 
" wondered if the cure might be asked to warn his 
people against the pernicious habit," she was in- 
formed that the priest himself was a " fumeur." 

French Canadian country houses are cool in sum- 
mer, warm and comfortable in winter, being built of 
massive squared logs, covered outside and in with 
plaster. The windows, always ponderous casements, 
have double sashes for winter. In the cities these 
outer sashes usually have one pane hinged to give ven- 
tilation. Such little doors are known as tirettej 
guicliet, or vasistasj the latter name, however, cannot 
be found in French dictionaries.* In villages, where 
the houses form a crooked procession along one street, 
each domicile stands at an angle from the next so that 
each may face south; and the northern ends or sides 

* When Napoleon First invaded Germany, the sound of mar- 
tial tramp brought people to the windows, and one inquired 
of his neighbor, " Vas ist das ? " The French soldiers, in 
derision, thereupon adopted " vasistas " as a name for the 
wicket. 



1T6 In Quest of the Quaint. 

have extra thickness of wall or sheathing of heavy 
planks, as better protection for the long winter. Be- 
yond the villages the farm lands are cut up into nar- 
row strips, frequently only a few yards in width, 
though perhaps almost a mile in length, reaching far 
hack towards the hills; so the fields have a curiously 
ribbon-like and patch-work effect. This is because 
the original demesne is divided on the marriage of the 
children, so that each can have a portion and settle 
down near the parents. 

In the lovely long twilights, host and hostess gra- 
ciously acceded to the pleadings of their romantic 
guests, and entertained them in charming manner; 
Madame with sweet old chansons, to which her fine 
contralto lent another charm, and Monsieur with a 
strange history of former sojourners. This latter 
came about through queries as to the manner in which 
the mountain away up beyond the village, — had 
they not seen it when returning from Bay St. Paul ? 
— obtained its name. Yes, they had seen also the fine 
old stone mansion on the heights. Well, there dwelt, 
long ago, the owner of the hlack house, and when he 
was dismantling it after it was left tenantless, there, 
behind an old fireplace, the journal was found, where 
it had slipped back of the wainscoting. " Oh, would 
Monsieur relate it ? " but he, shy of his English, and 
also of his French before (supposed-to-be) finished 
linguists, hesitated to attempt the task, though he 
consented if possible to obtain the manuscript for 
their perusal. Therefore, is it not " hereunto ap- 
pended " ? 

MONT BLAGOUSE. 

A journal! It has always seemed to me that I 
never could keep one, and that it has often proved 
unwise in those who have put down in black and 



Lazy Boolmong. 177 

white their opinions, ideas, or even reflections. 
Though I shall not enter herein mj sentimental mus- 
ings, sacred aspirations or inmost thoughts, yet here, 
where there is no one with whom I can commune, and 
unutterable loneliness overcomes me at times, the 
fancy seizes me to jot down something of my history, 
as if I were relating to a friend from whom I had 
long been separated. Such a one there is, my guid- 
ing star through all the vicissitudes of life, yet that 
one may never see this " ower true tale." 

Orphaned at seventeen years of age, I had only the 
memory of my parents' inculcations as guide, being 
left to a guardian of crusty and peculiar tempera- 
ment, to whom was entrusted my inheritance, — 
whether this would be much or little I neither knew 
nor cared, — and to him also the supervision of my 
education. My tastes were simple, my desires few, 
and I was left much to myself. A taste for the study 
of botany, which I had pursued persistently during 
my school years, led me to essay pharmaceutical re- 
search during my college course, and finally my 
crabbed-seeming guardian evinced considerable grati- 
fication when I graduated as a physician, and passed 
several years abroad, where, in medical parlance, I 
" walked the hospitals." Being naturally reserved, 
given to abstraction, and preferring retired life if not 
actual seclusion, I saw but little of the world and its 
doings, though I could not withdraw entirely from 
society. It was in an exclusive circle that I met my 
fate; a woman of exquisite sensibilities and utmost 
refinement, yet whose generous, pure, loving soul was 
always reaching out to help the unfortunate, to cheer 
the sorrowing, to uplift despondent ones. When I 
had been called to attend a sufferer in a forlorn and 
benighted district of the city, there I found that 
lovely being had already appeared, a veritable angel 



178 In Quest of the Quaint. 

of mercy. Ttis was before it became fashionable to 
enter into cbarity work, and only her own sweet spirit 
had been the impelling power, I could see, without 
shadow of doubt. From that time I was her devoted 
knight, her serf, her slave, if you will, — ^her shadow 
I might say; and many times protected her in her ten- 
der ministrations, though she was all unaware of this. 

I knew ere long that there was no hope for me. 
Before two years of our acquaintance had transpired 
I learned that she would become the bride of another, 
who had also figured in the Mission district. Even 
before my meeting with Angiola (as I mentally called 
her) I had been constantly brought in contact with 
this man; and it seemed to me he was posing, was 
never off his guard, and had always in view some ul- 
terior motive in his apparently kindly and self-sacri- 
ficing efforts to assist the denizens of that region of 
misery and squalor. I could not account for my re- 
pulsion, but, deciding that it was merely a case of Dr. 
Fell, endeavored to oust the matter from my 
thoughts, while always outwardly maintaining cour- 
teous demeanor to this individual. 

Years passed, and, though deeply engrossed in my 
profession, I had means of being posted as to An- 
giola's life, and of keeping watch, though from afar; 
For Her Sake my watchword. She possessed the 
power of bringing out the best and noblest in those 
with whom she was brought in contact, inspiring 
them to live on the highest plane. An old song of my 
mother's haunted me: — 

"Altho' even hope is denied, 
'Tis sweeter for thee despairing than aught in the world be- 
side; " 

but I would not yield to vain repinings. Though she 
was lost to me, in one sense, my life I felt had been 



Lazy Boolmong. 179 

blessed in having had her in it ! She had been, and 
should be, my life's beacon, I could not help feeling 
that the true character of her consort would be re- 
vealed some time; yet I honestly hoped that she 
might be spared such rude awakening from her dream 
of happiness, and that he too, for her sake, might be 
incited to live his best. I had resolved, at her mar- 
riage, to devote my best endeavors, my fortune, to her 
welfare, and to still stand guard, however distant, 
and although unknown to her. 

One year when I had gone to France for needed 
change, — although devoting the time of my sojourn 
to study there, — I learned from my old guardian that 
Angiola had returned to her former home, where she 
appeared in the sombre garb of widowhood. She had 
resumed her self-imposed duties at the mission, and 
^^■as almost worshiped by the people there, where her 
presence seemed a benediction, her personality that 
of a veritable ministering spirit. I had become 
deeply interested in the study of victims of the opium 
habit, and resolved to devote the rest of my life to 
such sufferers; hoping to help them to fight this in- 
sidious foe, than which Satan 'mid his legions has 
none more fiendish. 

One man in particular interested me; friendless, 
homeless, penniless, in a strange land. I determined 
to bring him back to America with me, and to see 
what I might possibly accomplish in his case. 
Though supposing Angiola to be free, I could not yet 
present myself to her; I was solemnly bound to my 
forlorn charge. To this most peaceful, healthful spot 
we came, and, disregarding the attractions of the vil- 
lage proper, the farms, the rivage, obtained possession 
of a small unpainted house, almost like a tiny chalet, 
under a peak back of but even higher than the moun- 
tain on which the church is perched. Here wild 



180 In Quest of the Quaint. 

mountain streams and pools and dense woods seemed 
to invite and promise success with rod and reel. 

The simple-hearted peasants seemed to think noth- 
ing strange about us or our proceedings, though mj 
charge was so weird and repulsive in appearance; but 
virtually adopted us into their community. They 
christened our abiding-place Mont Blagouse, which is 
not an Indian name, as one might surmise, but testi- 
fies their heroic effort to articulate " black house." 
Here I could watch my charge hourly, attending with 
utmost care to his diet, enforcing regular exercise and 
much outdoor life. We tramped, fished, hunted, 
rowed. 

Almost imperceptibly a remarkable alteration took 
place in his whole appearance. The leaden, expres- 
sionless eye began to show perception of, if not inter- 
est in, surroundings ; the flesh to assume a less corpse- 
like hue; the livid lips to take on a faint semblance 
of the tint of life ; and the man at last seemed coming 
to himself. These changes had been so gradual that 
I did not realize what was taking place ; it was with a 
great shock at last that a suggestion of his resem- 
blance to some one I had seen came to me, and, in 
time, deepened into conviction. 

Nothing can so utterly metamorphose a human be- 
ing as slavery to this damnable drug, which insidi- 
ously welds its fetters, and imperceptibly corrodes the 
moral nature as it undermines the vitals, killing body 
and soul at the same time. When at last the wretched 
victim had taken on a more human semblance, 
though but the wreck, the shadow, of his former self, 
he confessed to me all, metaphorically groveling in 
the dust at my feet. 

Yes, he had acquired the despicable habit long ago; 
at first, in curiosity, had tried the effect of small 
amounts of hasheesh, chloral, and finally the deadly 



Lazy Boolmong. 181 

dnig. He had received superficial education; these 
experiments at first were meant to " sharpen his 
"wits," to make him appear brilliant in the society in 
which he aspired to shine; to assist him in the work 
as a reporter (for a third-rate paper) which he had 
undertaken to eke out his slender means. He had 
married for money; had dissipated his wife's fortune, 
excepting a small part which had been settled on her 
in such a manner that he could not touch it, and then 
had deserted her. How he had lived since he could 
not say, though he recalled life at noted gambling 
resorts abroad. (How thankful I was that he did not 
mention his wife's name; I could not have endured 
that !) 

Now, though one heavenly spark had been rekin- 
dled in him, and he wondered if it might be possible 
for him to retrieve his wretched past by undertaking 
a crusade against this indescribably awful dragon, he 
realized that physical and brain power had been too 
severely taxed to permit of such work. The appar- 
ent brightening of the candle was only premonitory 
of its last gleam. He could see how it had all come 
about; unwise parental care, without religious influ- 
ence, had permitted him to grow up willful, selfish, 
self-indulgent. He had " suffered the tortures of the 
deepest depths of Hades," and none more appalling 
than to realize how willfully and wickedly he had 
thrown away his life, and jeopardized his soul. He 
entreated me to go on with my work, instancing his 
own case as proof of what might be done before the 
miserable votaries of the modern non-mythological 
Morpheus were so far gone as he; " while they could 
yet be convinced of the terrible penance which would 
be exacted " ; and then, invoking blessings on " his 
brother of St. Andrew/' he grasped my hands, and 
closed the weary eyes which never opened again. 



182 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



By means of Angiola's acquaintance witli my for- 
mer guardian, who had care of her small patrimony 
(and who, by the way, had of late years quite over- 
come his crustiness), I had managed to put myself in 
communication with her, and we had corresponded 
for a long time. Old Crusty had informed her of the 
death of her recreant husband, but not of my knowl- 
edge of or connection with his case; and now I am 
preparing to pull up stakes and leave this beauteous 
spot, and return to my former home, my professional 
work, and — and — yes, the postilion has just gone by 
and brought me a missive — (who would have thought 
him a messenger of love ?) — ^giving me permission also 
to return For Her Sake. Frances Helena Shelby; 
the initials shall remain the same, but the last one 
shall stand for Southmoor ! 

Owing to the obstacle which Isle-aux-Coudres pre- 
sents, the river here forms two channels, the wider 

and deeper one being near 
the south shore, where 
ocean steamships pass up 
and down. At the turn of 
the tide la hruit de mer is 
distinct, when the stream 
seems to double on its 
course and flow backward. 
Such has been the erosion 
of this strong current, dur- 
ing the past thirty years, 
that the site of the first set- 
tlement is now half a mile 
from shore, while the river 
has " made land " at other 
church stood near the 
mill-stream, where still stand 




CROSS IN "LE CHAMP DES MORTS. 



original 



points. The 

outlet of the 

huge Lombardy poplars, planted by the first 




OUR LADY OF THE CLOUDS. 



184 In Quest of the Quaint. 

settlers. It has been said that every kind of pop- 
lar excepting this could be grown from a twig; but at 
the outlet of Saratoga lake, in 1783, a young eques- 
trian, who was visiting his inamorata, stuck into the 
ground such a twig, which he had used as a 
riding-whip. It grew to immense size, and 
has only very recently succumbed to time and 
storms. 

The name which the present church, on 
the mountain, bears was given because of a 
tradition that at the time when an English 
regiment attempted to take the place, " Our 
Lady " sent a transcendently beautiful angel 
to guard the sacred building, and the white 
floating figure with outspread wings caused 
the invaders to flee incontinently! In that 
same tiny ecclesiastic edifice, in those ancient 
times, when it was difficult to obtain oil even 
for the church, la lumiere perpetuelle, be- 
fore the altar was provided by means of 
a suspended bottle (which had held the 
sacramental wine) in which fire-flies were 
imprisoned ; a bit of lace from the veil of 
the statuette of the Virgin being tied 
over the mouth, preventing the 
escape of " les mouches lui- 
santes." 

A propos des larapes: Scrivener 
triumphantly displayed an an- 
tique bought from an aged resi- 
dent of this locality, consisting 
of two ladle-like cups (hung one 
above another), in which whale-oil was burned; 
the lower one intended to catch the drippings, though 
either could be used separately to carry about the 
house. (When resting beneath the fine cliffs of Cap 




Lazy Boolmong. 185 

Martin, after a long tramp, the strangers had watched 
the white whales — Beluga borealis of the Saguenay — 
disporting themselves only a good stone's throw from 
shore.) The iron cups of the ancient lamp were also 
used by hunters to melt lead for bullets, this one 
bearing evidence of such usage. In this season one 
part of such a lamp, broken and battered, was dug 
up in a suburb of Quebec, where it is supposed to 
have been buried since 1760. While warbling 
Moore's old song Scrivener was seen attaching to 
"the find "as label:— 



$ 



-fK 



MziMz 



:^5=p: 



fr— N- 



^A-4 



I 



'The light of other days." 

Madame, singing while engaged in household af- 
fairs, quite startled the Scrivener one day as an old 
chanson fell from her lips; the very same air which 
that person had jotted down when Eva Melangon 
sang it at St. Mary's Bay in Nova Scotia years ago. 
Thus, while the Insatiable added to mems. and es- 
sayed a translation, Madame imparted the informa- 
tion that among the nautical French Acadians, and 
the French Canadians, there is considerable inter- 
course, and so the old melodies are not altogether 
lost. 

Madame was persuaded to teach " les demoiselles " 
quaint old chansons, not to be found in print, render- 
ing them in charming manner in her fine mellow 
voice, and thus the strangers secured invaluable 
souvenirs, every note of which should in after years 
recall a most satisfactory sojourn among these artless, 
gentle-spirited habitans. 



186 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



LES PERLES ET LES ETOILES. 

Andante. 



t3^ 



i 



5t=J: 






<Z3 



1. Com- me les perles et les ^toiles Or- nent d6 - jk le 

2. Sur un soupjon tu t'es enfuie Je pleure h^ laa ton 



^ 



£ 



ii=it 



^ 



front des cieux, La nuit € - tend par tout son voile EUe 
a - ban- don Par un bai - ser je t' en supplie Viens 



^ 



f' 



vient d^ - ja farmer mes yieux, Revien - dra tu dana 
m' ac- cor- der un doux pardon. Oh, crois le bien ma 



i 



5— V 



^^^ 



^ 



un doux songe, O mon bel ange, toi que j' adore Me 
bonne a - mie Pour te re - voir, oh, oui un jour, Je 



i 



iI^ia: 



^ 






i=^ 



^-tr 



r^ - p^-ter divers mensonges,*Me r^p^ter "je t'aime encore!" 
donnerais toute ma vie Je donnerais tons mes amoursi 



PEAELS AND STABS. 

When night o'er all the heavens deep 
Throws wide her veil, with gems bespread; 
When softly falls the boon of sleep, 
And into dreamland I am led; 
Ah, then, my love, a vision dear 
(The beauteous angel I adore!) 
Comes at my will, speaks in my ear, 
" Ah, dearest, could I love thee more ? " 

* " Mensonges," falsehoods; the pleasing prevarications, or 
petty fibs to which lovers are addicted (?). 



Lazy Boolmong. 



187 



1 M elcome not the light of dawn, 
For then, alas! my bkd has flown, 
That gracious presence will have gone 
(Ah, one embrace, my love, my own!) 
Oh, then, believe, ray darling one. 
For thee I long, yes, day by day, 
For thee the world I'd gladly shun. 
And never from thy side would stray. 



CEOLIA. 



i 



-PV-A 



-N— A- 



w 



t V-T^ : 



zi=ii 



" — h-^ — fiv Pi — \ 



1. Mon per'n'a-vait fil-Ie que moi, Mon p^r'n'a-vait 

1. To make our living from the sea, My cruel father 

2. Le mar- in - ier qui m'y menait, Le mar- in- ier 
2. But ev'ry day there meets me there, A sailor young 



m 



S 



:|^=t 



t=^ 



W^=15c 



^m 



fil - le que moi, En-coresur la mer il m'envoie, 

send - eth me, Yes, ev' ry day, whate' er my wish, 

qui m'y menait II dev'int a - mourenx de moi 

and d^b - o - nair, And he so fond- ly begs, * 'One kiss. 






^ 



N S 



^=^ 



:t 



i=i: 



Mon coeur est en a - ge. Tant d'amans qui se 

I must go to catch the fish. His on - ly child, C^- 
A - moureux de moi "Ma mignonette em- 
Dar- ling, you wiU nev - er miss, On - ly one, Ce- 



i 



-A- 



^ 



=J^=¥= 



— ^.. 



font I'a - mour Et moi je m'en pas - set 
cil - ia; A - las for me, C^ - cil - ia! 

bras- sez- moi, Ma mig - nonette em- brassez - moi." 
cil - ia; Ah, pray do, C^ - cil - ia!" 



188 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



Nenni, Monsieur, je n'oserais, 
Nenni, Monsieur, je n'oserais, 
Car si mon papa le savait. 
Papa le savait, 
Fille battue ce serait moi, 
Fille battue ce serait moi. 



4. Voulez-vous bell' qui lui dirait? 
Youlez-vous bell' qui lui dirait ? 
Ce serait les oiseaux des bois, 
Les oiseaux des bois, 
Sautez, mignonne Cecilia, 
Sautez, mignonne Cecilia. 



5. Ce serait les oiseaux des bois, 
Ce serait les oiseaux des bois, 
Les oiseaux des parlent-ils ? 
Des parlent-ils ? 

Sautez, mignonne Cecilia, 
Sautez, mignonne Cecilia. 

6. Les oiseaux parlent-ils ? 
Les oiseaux parlent-ils ? 

lis parl'nt frangais, latin aussi, 
Latin aussi. 

Sautez, mignonne Cecilia, 
Sautez, mignonne Cecilia. 

7. lis parl'nt frangais, latin aussi, 
lis parl'nt franfais, latin aussi, 
Helas ! que le monde est malin 
D'apprendre aux oiseaux, le latin. 
Sautez, mignonne Cecilia, 
Sautez, mignonne CiJcilia. 



3. Ah no, my friend, that could not be, 
I should not dare, e'en on the sea ; 
My father would be sure to know 
And would give full many a blow 
To his poor girl, Cecilia, 

His only child, Cecilia. 

4. But we are many miles away. 
How could he know, then tell me, 

pray. 
Alas, the birds would tell the tale. 
They carry news and never fail, 
Then, ah, poor me, Cecilia, 
So sad would be Cecilia. 

5. Ah, but the birds they cannot speak. 
They are gentle, sweet and meek ; 
Oh, they would never serve us so ; 
This, my dearest, you must know ; 
Then pity take on me, I pray. 
Make this for me a happy day. 

6. Ah yes, the birds, it is well known, 
Flying forth from zone to zone. 
Learn the tongue of many climes, 
Now speak French, Latin at times. 
Ah, sad am I, Cecilia, 

What shall I do, Cecilia? 

7. If, as you say, this is the case, 
And this fair world has grown so 

base. 
Pray, tell me what then should be 

done 
To him who taught the Latin tongue 
To little birds, I tho't so true. 
Yet thus would drive me far from 

you. 



Note. — In Canada at the present time one hears five ver- 
sions of this song, varying in melody and refrain, though the 
words are the same. This version is heard " down on the 
Gulf," and seems more like the old original as it was sung at 
St. Malo. Repetition makes all the oldest French Canadian 
songs monotonous — " nine verses being required for what could 
be told in three," as Moore said. In this translation I have 
arranged several lines to a verse. 



Rock Fort. 



KOOK FORT 



Bidding defiance to Tradition, snapping fingers in 
scorn of Superstition, the Summerers declared that 
they might, could, would and should number Thir- 
teen. The Sage took out his note-book and calcu- 
lated : — 

One out of 200 who are 10 years of age, 
One out of 129 who are 20 years of age. 
One out of Y8 who are 40 years of age, 
One out of 33 who are 60 years of age. 
One out of 13 who are 7S^ years of age, may die 
within the year. " Therefore you see," he concluded, 
" it is not likely, according to the law of nature, that 
one out of a party of thirteen will die within one year, 
unless the average age of the company should be 
seventy-three and one-half years." As the proposed 
company of tourists were considerably on the right 
side of that dangerous age, they breathed freely, and 
were, of course, immensely relieved. 

The ages of the company ranged from sixteen to 
sixty, and gTave and reverend seigniors figured among 
them; yet in a long sojourn on Bay Chaleur, in a pre- 
ceding season, it had been decided by their fellow- 
guests at the hotel, that the " Americans " were a 
summer school ! The Co-Eds were not averse to car- 
rying out the joke; and, having decided to emulate a 
traveler of ancient times and establish themselves 
" in their own hired house," when opportunity of- 
fered of securing one of two adjoining houses in 
which a school was conducted in winter, nothing 
could have been more suitable or appropriate. 



Boch Fort 193 

An English cousin, resident of Canada, who hap- 
pened to be in the Modern Athens at the time of de- 
parture, mischievously took upon himself the office 
of showman, and as the train whizzed through New 
England announced : '' This, Ladies and Gentlemen, 
is the land of the Iwantoknows, a curious people of 
inquiring minds, in whom, however, I take an inter.- 
est. ' I want to know ! ' 'Do tell ! ' ' Let me see ! ' 
are favorite expressions of theirs." Then, rapidly 
illustrating with pencil and paper, he added: "Be- 
hold how the houses and even the church spires are 
built on the model of a spy-glass, drawn out inquisi- 
tively, and the letters beneath the weather-vanes 
spell ' NEWS.' " 

When the solemn conclave had been held to decide 
" Whither ? " the Independents, longing for realms 
in which Canis Major would not hold such arbitrary 
sway, (though warned that to find such region would 
prove a Sirius matter), exclaimed in chorus, " Ursa 
Major be our guide, Boreas our friend ! " Therefore 
it was decided that their destination should be the 
point where the Gray Lady of the North sits en- 
throned; there they would carry out the illusion of 
residence in a foreign country, and could study at 
their leisure the quaint town in all its phases, secur- 
ing such bits for pen, pencil, brush, as escape the 
eye of the general tourist. Some of these latter sight- 
seers were dubbed Cookies by the naughty scholars; 
who, when they did not scorn, commiserated the 
wholesale manner in which these so-called pleasure- 
seekers were " doing " the place ; wearing an air of 
stern adherence to duty, resignation to grim Fate, or 
absolute boredom as they were put through the regu- 
lar routine. How flat one must feel on having 
cocker stop in front of a commonplace modern resi- 
dence, on the site of a quaint historic house ! " If one 



194 In Quest of the Quaint. 

could only procure at that spot even a picture of the 
ancient dwelling " (which many of tiie pupils remem- 
bered not so many years ago) " there would be some 
sense in it," said Cynicus. 

The funny, tiny shops at either side of the break- 
neck stairs have vanished, with many other queer bits 
and odd corners, as well as the latest of even the old 
gates; but one rejoiced at finding still standing a 
" one-story house with a three-story roof," as well as 
one " cut bias," as a Student irrelevantly remarked. 
The Students found measureless store for delving 
into the French and English libraries; the Dab- 
blers inexhaustible treasures in their meanderings, 
and the Scrivener went about with perpetually ebon- 
ized finger-tips, fairly bristling with notes and mems., 
wearing the age of a sage of seventy. 

Down below their dwelling, in a queer, crooked lit- 
tle lane, they could easily have imagined themselves 
transported into a by-way of an Italian town. Over- 
head hung clothes-lines from which fluttered gay 
chintz coverlets and red shirts. Lively black-eyed 
urchins became the self-constituted gallants and 
guardians of the Dabblers when they attempted to 
transfer to paper a semblance of the queer lane. 
Ramshackle stairways leading to sagging balconies, 
bridges flung across to the shoulder of the cliff, were 
overtopped by odd windows of ancient warehouses, 
which looked down like brooding owls, their long un- 
used pulleys protected by scoop-like bonnets of roof- 
ing. When " Fleurie," the Eogue, became too in- 
quisitive regarding the manipulation of brushes and 
colors, his companions swooped down, ran him into 
one of the woodsheds under the cliff, and called dire 
threats through the keyhole. The country woman 
with her baskets, when asked to pose by the Clipper 



Roch Fort. 195 

(who has a proclivity for silhouettes), readily con- 
sented, and indulged in clumsy banter and elephantine 
pleasantries with the baker as he passed along; stating 
that the " Bostonnais " would send her picture to some 
paper ! When presented with a duplicate silhouette, 
she inquired, " What is to pay ? " and was overcome 
with surprise at seeing herself, in profile, in the tiny 
black cutting. When Fleurie, all in Sunday best, 
recognized the strangers a few days later, his black 
eyes danced, and, proud of his English, he exclaimed, 
" You come down Sous-le-Cap, make more pikc/ia/i f " 
Far along the " Cove Road " is a straggling, ram- 
bling stairway which climbs the bluffs to the plains; 
and the scholars dubbed it " L'escalier de I'annee," 
though it gives you more than " a step for every day 
in the year." l^ear the base is a row of tumble-down 
buildings which seem to shoulder each other like ine- 
briates, their sagging walls shored up with great 
beams, their curving roofs moss-grown. Here 
the ubiquitous urchin still followed, and volun- 
teered advice and suggestion. Near the foot of 
this long stairway, on the water side of the shore 
road, is the Skandinaviske Kirke, where, no 
doubt, the IsTorse sailors and lumbermen come 
to attend service. The Incorrigible declared 
that the embroidered inscription over the read- 
ing desk would almost cause strabismus, as one read, 
and lock-jaw, as one attempted to pronounce it — 
" Gud til Are og os til Oplyggelse Vorder Ordets 
Gjorere og ikke alene dets Horere." In this quarter 
the nautical population huddles, 'longshore, and little 
Polly Voo is generally absent. It was a youthful 
Celt who entreated , " Oh, doant make peeA^chures o' 
thim ould houses; come down beyant; Pat Murphy 
has got a foine house there, all new an' purty." 



196 In Quest of the Quaint. 

In the markets there are feasts of color, and inter- 
esting character studies. A large bouquet of bright 
blossoms can be bought for a few pence, vegetables 
and fruits are as gorgeous as if the wealth of India 
had been poured out on the wide planks, or heaped on 
benches, boxes, baskets, where farmers and their 
wives sit placidly beaming; sometimes nodding over 
their depleted stock, for thev have traveled many 
" arpents " at unearthly hours to get to " ^ebec." 
Those are surely the very same people one saw at the 
earliest of many visits, and the scene is unchanged. 
From the becoming shadow of big wide-brimmed 
straw hats, the kindly countenances of the market- 
women look out, and agreeable voices ask, " Will 
Madame have fish, flesh, fowl or fruit ? " Here is a 
wagon in which the large chapeaux-de-pailles are of- 
fered for sale, and one pictures mentally the scene, in 
some distant steep-roofed, wide-eaved farmhouse, 
where matron and maids plait the braids, and fashion 
such headgear. A purchaser discussed with a neigh- 
bor the fowl she had procured for Sunday's repast, 
punching and poking the flesh of the bird as she 
talked, and Jacques marched off with a porcine speci- 
men bagged and slung over his shoulder, ear-racking 
protests issuing from the animal meanwhile. On 
trays, most remarkable pats, dabs, blobs were dis- 
played for sale; some of puttyish consistency and hue, 
others colored a sickly purple ; what could it be ? 
" C'est le veritable gomme d'epinette," prepared by 
the habitans, and colored with poke-berry juice, prob- 
ably. Could it be that from these simple folk those 
sharp Yankees learned to compound what they call 
chewing-gum ? Their concoction, composed of lard 
and other fats, resin, paraffine, and other objection- 
able masticables, is even more deleterious than this, 



Bock Fort. 197 

though the chewing habit is as disgusting and injuri- 
ous in either case.* 

Scrivener, musing aloud, entered into the conver- 
sation with the remark: " Boss, an architectural orna- 
ment, a protuberance, something rising above and 
dominating surrounding regions; hence the slang 
term for a petty director or second-rate ruler. Ergo, 
the famous hot-bed of isms and osophies considers 
herself the Boss town of the United States, if not of 
the world. Why should she not obtain points from 
this side of the Border? She thinks she was the 
originator of a peculiar fallacy, yet just below us is 
that noted place of pilgrimage, St. Anne's, which is 
at least an illustration of ' mental science,' ' Chris- 
tian science,' ' metaphysical healing,' if it was not 
the original ' faith cure.' Of course every one 
knows that each of these is the only and true one, 
and that one must be confounded with the other ; not- 
withstanding the similarity of peas in one pod ! " 

Jacques Bonhomme and wife came regularly to the 
School; he for the laundry, she to sweep and clean; 
and when the artless peasant was requested to meas- 
ure a doorway, and to bring cotelan in certain quan- 
tity and coloring, — to be used as -portiere in the coun- 
try residence of one of the party, — he could not find 
words to express his amazement, and evidently 
thought he had got into a private lunatic asylum. 
Some of the people call this fabric "catalaun," and it 
is possible that they thus would honor Catalaughn, 
who " came out " among the early settlers, and who 



* In Maine, many years ago, spruce gum brought from $150 
to $180 per bbl. (about 170 lbs.) according to quality; owing 
to destruction of trees, and greater scarcity now, probably the 
price is advanced. The Mexican "chicle" (chickly) is now 
largely u.sed in tlie manufacture of " chewing-gum." 



198 In Quest of the Quaint. 

jotted down his observations on country and people 
interestingly, as one can see in the libraries. " They 
say " he initiated the people into certain simple arts, 
and he might have been instructor in the manufac- 
ture of this form of rag-car|)et. It is more probable 
that the name is a corruption of coton-et-laine, al- 
though the material is not always of cotton and wool. 
In the houses of well-to-do farmers, cotton or linen 
counterpanes are woven in this manner, and look as 
if they would last for ages. Formerly the French 
people and Indians made from roots and bark the 
beautiful dyes which they used; but now aniline and 
other manufactured stains have crept in. Thus the 
" Yenghis," as " les sauvages " call them, are profit- 
ing, but to the detriment of the naturally good color- 
sense, in harmony of hues, possessed by the natives. 

Cynicus chimed in with dissertations on similar 
lines, asserting, " We run this town, their hotels and 
transportation lines. The shops are full of our goods, 
and on the souvenir jewelry I can show you the pri- 
vate mark of the manufacturers in Il^orth Attleboro, 
Mass.* For curios and antiquesf a much higher 
price is demanded than finer specimens bring in the 
States, while as to furs you might learn a thing or 
two. That coney-f ur-ous wrap for which you've been 
pining could be procured to equal advantage at home 
and no bother about customs duties. If the pest of 
Australia, as well as our half-wild animals, (even 
Felis mephitis), when their pelts have been dressed, 



*In May, 1902, the first instalment of 40,000 coronation 
medals was sent to London from Attleboro, Mass. 

t A former dealer exhibited with pride to the writer 
" barnacles " which had once fettered a noted criminal, and a 
" myhonian 'arp," a stringed box on which JEolus breathed sad, 
mysterious notes. 



Roch Fort. 199 

are glorified as martin, mink, seal and sable, it shows, 
as Barnum said, how people like to be humbugged. 
Scrivener assented to this, and remarked that tour- 
ists purchase (for absurd price) at our own and for- 
eign exhibitions, and in bazaars of our Western cities, 
so-called " Oriental amethyst and ruby," " smoky 
sapphire," opal, moonstone, aquamarine, which are all 
made of a German composition known as strass; 
whereas by applying to our well-known lapidaries 
they could obtain genuine and very beautiful tourma- 
lines and other semi-precious stones, which are found 
in several of the States. 

Returning from a prowl in distant quarters of the 
Lower Town, the demure little scholars, desiring 
fruit, stopped at another market. A woman in the 
usual habitan's costume, — standing with arms akimbo 
and apparently gazing into space in dreamy mood, — 
was addressed in well-chosen language by a meek 
feminine, whereupon Madame's head was turned, and 
reply flung over her shoulder in this wise : " Doant 
talk Frinch to me ! Doant ye see I'm no habbython ? 
ISTo, I'm Irish. Yes, and worse nor that, I'm from 
Connaught. Did ye niver hear the sayin', ' Con- 
naught or h — ^1 ' ? " This, to say the least, was 
startling; but the seeming virago wheeled suddenly, 
with a hearty laugh, on discovering that she had not 
quite frightened her interlocutor out of her wits, and 
was ready to serve the customer graciously. 

At one of the stalls fine large deep-sea fish, as well 
as salmon and lake specimens, were to be seen, and 
the Marchand des Poissons pretended to be horrified 
when a mischievous Scholar told the Marbleheader's 
yarn about how the haddock obtained its name. The 
old innocent's attention was thus engaged while a 
camera caught him, as he listened to the (of course) 
choice French which told that His Satanic Majesty 



200 In Quest of the Quaint. 

had for a long time been " after " that particular pis- 
catorial specimen, hut it eluded him, and when at 
last the huge hand closed over the fish, finger and 
thumb caused the black stripe down his sides, as the 
De'il remarked, " Hey, Duke, I got ye ! " 

Philadelphians have always felt interest in the do- 
main of Acadia, the vast region extending from that 
city to Montreal, which was granted to Pierre du 
Guast, Sieur de Monts, in 1604. Some of the ban- 
ished Acadians were befriended by the French 
Quaker, Anthony Benezet, and found a haven of rest 
in the City of Penn. In some of the oldest ceme- 
teries there they are interred. Some of the Scholars 
began their Canadian investigations in Acadia years 
ago ; and it had so changed that in this and preceding 
seasons they had to some extent followed in the wake 
of the banished " E'eutrals " when they drifted back 
into the Provinces. At this time they were inter- 
ested to learn that the street of their abode was 
named for a worthy and respected apothecary of 
Paris, who was with Poutrincourt at Port Royal, and 
came to Quebec with Champlain in 1617. Also that 
the wide stretch of moorland beyond the fortifica- 
tions, which bears suggestively a pastoral biblical 
cognomen, was named for Abraham Martin, an old 
pilot of the St, Lawrence, " dit I'ecossais," also 
known as " Maitre Abraham," He owned consider- 
able land, and wood which he cut was dragged on 
sledges down a steep winding road leading to the 
wharf on the St, Charles, and thence shipped. This 
street is now known as Cote d' Abraham. 

From their long rear balcony the Scholars studied 
the shipping by day and astronomy at night. Impu- 
dent, important little tugs dragged huge ships and 
barques out of the harbor; the big vessels meekly fol- 
lowing with useless-seeming sails set. In bad weather 



RocTc Fori. 



201 



the vessels were moored with bare poles, but when 
the sun came out, the canvas, gracefully festooned on 
the yards to dry, gave to the harbor somewhat the 
effect of a great laundry. The fine Marine Hospital, 
away down below, they learned was built in 1832, at 
a cost of $100,000, and is supported by a tax of one 
penny per ton on each vessel arriving from sea, and 
also a portion of the emigrant tax. Above the suc- 
tom house the red flag floated in fine weather, or 
wrapped the staff when rain-soaked, showing, said 
Scrivener, that England's colors wonH run. At night 
a brilliant, flaring beacon on a dredge reflected in the 
black water took on the shape of Excalibur, and in 
this region of legend and romance the spectral arm 
uplifting it could readily be imagined. Late in Au- 
gust the auroral arch seemed to reach from Point 
Levis to the fine range musically named the Bon- 
homme and Tsounonthouan mountains, away in the 
northwest. Probably this super- 
natural bridge, as would have been 
most fitting, was thrown across 
when the famous Chevalier De 
Levis visited La Sainte Vierge in 
celestial realms ; on which occasion, 
says tradition, he was addre^ed as 
" Cousin," and requested not to 
uncover ! 

The irreverent pupils had the 
presumption to smile at the sup- 
posed - to - be formid- 
able fortifications and 
their armament, as- 
serting that modem 
implements of war- 
fare could demolish 




202 In Quest of the Quaint. 

the whole in short order. Their audacious 
conclusion was as to the little popper in the 
fort which was taken at Bunker Hill: " 'Tis a 
child's toy, and much glory it must have brought to 
its captors." * It would not be safe to attempt to fire 
a gun of the Grand Battery, as it would surely burst 
and kill the gunners; and why do those clumsy can- 
non resemble Japanese ofiEicials? Sho-guns, to be 
sure ! The Co-Eds, who had been imagining them- 
selves in an old ISTorman town in mediaeval times, 
could not tolerate such atrocities, and the brilliant 
wits were summarily ejected, for the time at least, 
from their parlor. 

The walls were lowered several feet many years 
ago, and in " ye olden time," when the gates — ^forts 
in themselves — formed the only ingress, the barriers 
must have seemed invulnerable; though the Scholars 
wondered why they locked the front door and " left 
the back yett ajee," also that it was thought impossi- 
ble for an invading foe to effect entrance from the 
rear. Though impassable forests and impossible 
heights proved trifles to their coureurs-des-bois 
(" white Indians," as Parkman calls them), it seems 
they expected such barriers would be quite unsur- 
mountable by the haughty Southron, even though he 
looked upon their realm with more envious eye than 
did some of their own people of Europe who spoke 
contemptuously of their '^ leagues of snow." 

The Dabblers chanced to stray into a certain 
church (not French) in a back street ; and would fain 
rest and meditate in the quiet, although the odor of 
sanctity pervading the edifice was redolent of stale 
incense, emphasized by that of " ingyuns " ! Raising 
their eyes to study the decorations, they were struck 

* A visitor remarked: "We kept the whole blessed counti'y, 
you might have the gun ! '' 




cy 



Rocl: Fort. 203 

as by a blow. There the grim reaper is depicted step- 
ping along with rather jaunty air, and an expression 
of countenance which, despite the want of eyes, 
teeth, flesh, is not forbidding, but wears a wide smile. 
Beside this " human frame in lattice-work " stands a 
huge harp, and roses big as cabbages are scattered on 
the ground. In the rear a bath tub evidently served 
the painter as model for a sarcophagus; and the 
artist, one might judge, had never seen a plough, and 
therefore drew upon his imagination, unless in an- 
cient times, in Canada, such implements were built 
barrow-fashion and did have a wheel in front.* This 
remarkable chef-d'oeuvre reminded one of the im- 
promptu off-setting of Sydney Smith's desire, to " sit 
in his bones," by a friend who said, " That would not 
be cool; the marrow should be removed so the 
draught could blow through ! " When the Scribbler 
presented a sketch of this fresco to Blondina, she 
" could just see Brother double up over that." The 
sculptor who carved King Leo's clan on the fagade 
of the Music Hall may have been a compatriot of this 
artist, his work being almost equally remarkable. 
The carving being too shallow, such decidedly Celtic 
character had been given to the leonine countenances 
that they became quite irresistible to the Summer 
School, who immediately christened the Lions of 
Quebec by all the Irish cognomens they could call to 
mind.f 



* Since this was penned the writer has seen, in the moun- 
tainous " back country " of Canada, a plough with a whiflBe 
tree, to which two small wheels were attached. 

t The hall was burned on St. Patrick's night, '99, after an 
entertainment suited to that occasion. A transparent glass 
sign reading, " God save Ireland," remained intact, emphasizing 
the Celtic lions, in 1900. 



204 In Quest of the Quaint. 

When visiting one of the numerous institutions, a 
" sister " quite insisted that the youngest of the Co- 
Eds ought to come into their happy home, sure she 
" had a vocation " ; but the child bravely maintained 
that " one might find a vocation outside, and, while 
remaining in the world, need not necessarily be of 
it " ; and had the temerity to ask, " Were they so 
weak they could not withstand the wiles and allure- 
ments of the world, and so were forced to immure 
themselves ? " Among purchases of souvenirs of 
this visit, was a tiny figure of a saint enclosed in metal 
box to be carried in the pocket and protect the bearer 
from harm; the disrespectful children dubbed it the 
Lif e-Preserver ! When a fire occurred in the quarter 
of the Lower Town, which has so many times been 
devastated, soldiers from the fort were quick to re- 
spond, as usual, and rushed by at double-quick. From 
the little houses in that closely-populated district 
which were nearest to the conflagration, residents 
were emerging clad in their best garments, carrying 
their greatest treasures; sometimes these seemed to 
consist of funeral wreaths under glass or tawdry 
ornaments, rather than articles which might be use- 
ful; and in other houses figures of saints had been 
placed in the windows as if to protect the domicile, 
while the bell of the nearest church clanged, not to 
give alarm to the fire department, which was out in 
force, but to call upon the patron saint of the quar- 
ter to look after his edifice. 

If one should be careless about religious observ- 
ances, it would not be for the want of reminder ; bells 
in numbers sound at intervals from dawn, almost, 
till late at night. Two fine chimes (from the English 
churches), the hard, high-pitched Ursulines bell and 
the ponderous tone from the Basilica (like " Big 



Rock Fort. 



205 



Ben ■ ' of London), emphasizing his fellows at the 
Angelus 



l¥. 



:1=? 



-N- 



:it 



m 



-i^2^-T 



Thus goes the day : Halt on thy way I 
f jest thou should stray From heav' n a- way, 
Thy pray' rs now say ; Or penance pay. 

The lives of the earliest missionaries to Canada are 
remarkable records of the most absolute self-abnega- 
tion and devotion to Church and faith, and even non- 
sectarian chroniclers wrote with enthusiasm and 
laudation of their work. If those writers could take 
up their pens again now, and express themselves re- 
garding present times in the dear, delightful old 
town, the record would read rather differently. The 
Province is becoming almost thoroughly French; 
churches and institutions have increased greatly with- 
in fifteen years; relics and the power of the Church 
are widely shown. Yet, in the States, " the Church " 
has its summer schools, and seems to encourage ad- 
vancement in education, rather than to be retrograd- 
ing, as here, apparently. When one is passing a va- 
cation in a French farm-house, Madame vnll com- 
plain that " the priest gets all the choice meats, be- 
fore boucher comes to her " ; and her daughter who 
(like her mother) has been educated in a convent, 
claims that " the nuns are too old-fashioned and don't 
teach their pupils modern things." Another inform- 
ant, though French and Roman Catholic, will tell 
you that a certain institution in Quebec " owns ten 
millions worth of property — (and so keeps the vow of 
poverty!) — ^you may believe it or not; yet they, be- 
ing exempt from taxation, make the burden come 
heavy on the English and Protestant population." 



<^ M. 




BELFRY OF URSULINE'S CHAPEL, QUEBEC. 



Roch Fort. 20Y 

The English popiihition has decreased one-half dur- 
ing the past twelve or fourteen years. When con- 
quered and conquerors live in harmony it is a re- 
markable fact, and races so diverse as Briton and 
Gaul, it would seem, could have no more affinity than 
oil and water; yet there is no outward clashing. The 
masses are apparently on good terms, but among 
those of higher social position and better education, 
there are at least whispered repinings. Possibly the 
English, proverbially slow though sure, have been too 
cautious. It may be that " States People," accus- 
tomed to large business interests and daring ventures, 
have encouraged them to undertake too much. The 
English did hold the bulk of commerce in their hands, 
although many had natural and inherited distaste for 
" trade." Secure and content, they lived comfort- 
ably; but after a while were aroused to realize that 
business was slipping away. They were being out- 
stripped. Some of the French Canadians, who had 
received good education and were therefore enterpris- 
ing, were gliding into official and business positions, 
and walking off with emoluments and profits. 

The habitan is happy, — in fact, has quite a good 
opinion of himself, — but his is the bliss of ignorance. 
He is a literal person, with slight sense of humor, 
slow of comprehension, accepting blindly the tenets 
and fiats of the Church, never thinking it possible to 
" make reply or reason why." More liberal educa- 
tion would have taught him to make more of himseK 
and his possessions. Even his land would become 
more productive under more enlightened culture ; but 
apparently he is content to grub along in his slow, 
antique fashion. The country folk learned of the In- 
dian to make foot-gear (boots and shoes, sewed moc- 
casin fashion, being in general use among habitan 
and farmer), so it seemed natural that shoe-making 



208 In Quest of the Quaint. 

should become an industry of Quebec, and large fac- 
tories should have sprung up. 

One hears general tribute paid to the honestj and 
thrift of the habitans. Those who regularly visit the 
city, bringing their wares to market, become slightly 
imbued with worldliness, and are hardly a fair sample 
of people of the " back country," some of whom, 
though not more than fifteen or twenty miles distant, 
have never been within the walls of Quebec. Re- 
cently a priest in one of these villages delivered a 
scathing sermon against pomps and vanities, threat- 
ening to read out from the pulpit the names of those 
women who did not take off feathers and flowers 
from their hats ; and it is needless to add that the con- 
gregation at once assumed a severely simple aspect. 
It is said that not many years ago advertisements 
which resembled bank-notes were circulated among 
these simple people by some evil-disposed person, and 
accepted as money, until the fraud was exposed. This 
was hardly surprising in the guileless descendants of 
the peasantry, who, in 1685, accepted as money play- 
ing cards, " cut into four pieces, stamped with fleur- 
de-lis and crown, each piece signed by the Governor, 
Intendant and clerk of the treasury of Quebec." 

The pretty daughter of "la blanchisseuse " told 
" les Americaines " that the priest would not allow 
the girls of his parish to dance or to read novels, 
though she admitted that the temptation to indulge 
in terpsichorean exercise occasionally had proved irre- 
sistible, and " she would be willing to pay penance 
for it " ! Those of the party who could remember the 
stalwart, strapping military men when there was a 
garrison to guard " Our Lady of the Snows," found 
it difficult to convince the children of that fact, when 
the youngsters remarked scornfully upon the small, 
boyish-looking soldiers. Scrivener stated that the 



Bocl' Fort 



209 



reason the round spice-boxes on those soldierly heads 
are called " fatigue caps/' is because it requires long- 
practice to be able to keep them aslant their pates at 
just the proper angle ! Among them are many of the 
French-Canadians, who, as a race, are small of 
stature. It is quite possible that they may be stunted 
through excessive use of tobacco. Boys from seven 
years of age are constantly seen, not only with cig- 
arettes, but cigars and pipes, and nothing can con- 
vince them that the habit is injurious. Their fathers 
raise the tobacco (and exhaust their land thereby). 




A CALi&CHE. 

and they have always seen them use it, why should 
not the boys ? 

The Canadian caleche must be precisely like the 
famous Deacon's " one-hoss shay," and even more so 
the antique ones at not«d resorts down the river. 
When the school turned out for an excursion in a 
long string of these queer vehicles, the cure in one 
village through which they passed came out, beaming, 
to ask if it was a wedding party, as it seems the habi- 
tans always prefer these conveyances for such festivi- 
ties. Much disgusted was Cynicus on this occasion 




210 In Quest of the Quaint. 

on being taken to see a small portion of wall still left 
standing of a once noted summer residence — " the 
biggest humbug " ; — but the others found compensa- 
tion and a reminder of the " Innocents Abroad " in 
their cocher's artless questions, — (he must have been 
a green hand) : " I believe this man was buried some 
time ago, Bigot ? His house was burned one time ? " 
— and could not resist retaliating by asking if he was 
acquainted with the former resident. 

In the main street of the St. Roque quarter sabots* 
may be purchased, — a for- 
eign-seeming memento, — 
and the strangers were told 
that in the spring, when 
roads and fields are bad, the 
country folk make consid- 
erable use of them. The 
scholars wondered if they 
might be seen then in rows of all sizes outside the 
doors, as in Holland; and they might have told the 
people that the manufacture of wooden shoes is quite 
an industry in New York, where there is constant de- 
mand, on the East Side, for the wooden-soled shoes 
used by workmen in certain trades, and also for the 
genuine sabots, French and German women of the 
tenement district being the principal buyers. 
" A propos des bottes," nothing could be more 
comfortable than the Indian moccasin, which, in 
every possible style of antique and modern manufac- 
ture, can be found in the bazaars of Quebec; while 
even little out-of-the-way shops show sensible russets 



* The French-Canadian sabot is less clumsy, and of more 
graceful shape than the foreign ones. Fishermen of St. Pierre 
and Miquelon Islands, near Newfoundland, wear the wooden 
shoes always. These islands belong to France. 




' SOULIERS SAUVAGES. 



B.ock Fort 211 

or " bottines sauvages " (of thin sole leather), which 
are " the very thing " for country wear. This being 
an age of fads, it is interesting to learn that the stiff- 
soled shoe of the American is said to 
be one cause of his high-strung, over- 
wrought ner\^es ! 

Having learned some Yankee 
dodges, one might be inclined to sus- 
pect the Injuns (as the Kanajjuns call 
them) of perfuming the sweet grass of 
their baskets with fragrant gums or es- 
sences; only, seeing it growing, and 
gathering it one's self, is convincing. 
Most interesting of their work is the so-called porcu- 
pine quill embroidery, although the quills now, prob- 
ably, are from feathers of fowls, and the colors (gen- 
erally well contrasted) aniline. There are but few 
who are now proficient in this art, which has been 
handed down from great-grandmothers. 

As the Independents had been residents (and 
householders) for so long a time, they could not see 
why they were always recognized as sojourners and 
not English townspeople, between whom and them- 
selves they could not discover such great difference. 
When one questioned an inhabitant, " Why are we 
always known as ' Americans ' ? " the reply was, 
" When you asked at the apothecary's this mornong 
for ' a bottle of ammonia,' you ' told on yourself ' ; I 
should have asked for ' a phial of sal volatile.' " This 
led to allusions to Canadian currency, and the Schol- 
ars launched Columbiads, asserting that the dignified 
old statesmen on United States notes are much more 
suitable and appropriate than representations of Prin- 
cess Louise or Lady Dufferin in unpicturesque mod- 
ern attire, however commendable their loyalty in de- 
siring to have such portraits adorning their bank bills. 



212 In Quest of the Quaint. 

The response to this was that our English neighbors 
across the lines consider themselves much better off 
than we, in having their Governor-General chosen 
for them, thus escaping such political and mercantile 
earthquakes as we endure in the years of Presidential 
elections. Then ensued an interesting and friendly 
discussion on the respective status (in political, busi- 
ness and social affairs) of Canada and the United 
States, which could only be recorded in 18mo vol- 
umes. 

As Niagara has been " harnessed " and made to 
drive engines and mills, why should not the power of 
Montmorency (which Champlain describes as nearly 
twenty-five fathoms in height) be utilized to light the 
city? A very beautiful spectacle it presents, and 
from the Terrace at night the scene is quite sugges- 
tive of Constantinople and the Bosphorus. One 
should always make one's advent in Venice at night, 
and when there is a moon, then the olden glory of the 
Bride of the Sea seems to return, and Time's deface- 
ments are obliterated. It is quite too commonplace 
a proceeding to come into such a city as this by the 
rear and land route; one should always arrive by the 
river, or roads terminating opposite the town. 

When discussing various theories as to the spon- 
sors of their charming place of sojourn, and the sig- 
nificance of the name, the Summer School entered 
into a little investigation. Many Canadian authors 
have asserted that it is a corruption of " Quel bee ! " 
— " What a beak ! " or " peak ! " — ^the exclamation of 
some ancient Norman on his arrival. Recent writers 
show the improbability of the Norman origin of the 
word, claiming that it is Celtic, as in that language 
" bee " means " a point, headland or promontory," 
and that thus originated our words beak and peak, 
while in the Norse tongue " bee " signifies a brook or 



Boch Fori. 213 

piiiall stream, as for instance the English " beck " and 
German ^" bach." " It is well known that the early 
French immigrants, as well as the men of Jacques 
Cartier's expedition, were from Normandy and Brit- 
tany. The Bretons are of Celtic origin. Brittany 
seems to have been less affected by Norman influence 
than other parts of Gaul, and at the time of the 
Anglo-Saxon invasion of England very many of the 
Cymric Celts took refuge in Brittany, so that the 
Bretons have always preserved their Celtic character, 
and Celtic is still spoken in some parts of the coun- 
try." 

In the Algonquin Indian dialect the name for the 
place signifies " it is shut, it is narrow " ; and the Hu- 
ron name was Tia-ton-ta-rili, " the place of a strait." 

An air of elegant leisure and dignified repose per- 
vades the delightsome town ; a glamor of romance and 
historic association adds charm to commonplace 
every-day affairs. One could not fail to be benefited 
by the invigorating atmosphere and restful life, while 
Nature's panorama so generously spread all around 
allures in all of its phases, and one is thankful that so 
much of ancient interest still remains, in this icono- 
clastic " age of iron and steam." 

" None shall more regretful leave 

These waters and these hills than I; 
Or, distant, fonder dream how eve 
Or dawn is painting wave and sky. 

" HoM"^ rising moons shine sad and mild, 
On wooded isle and quivering bay, 
Or setting suns beyond the piled 

And purple mountains lead the day." 

— Whittier. 



214 In Quest of the Quaint. 

THE " CAJSTADIAlSr BOAT-SONG." 

One naturally thinks of, and sings, Moore's " Can- 
adian Boat-Song " when in Quebec, and one can hear 
voyageurs and raftsmen singing the modern French 
version of it on the river, under the cliffs of the 
Walled City of the North. Ste. Anne was the sailor's 
guardian, and vessels coming in from sea saluted Ste. 
Anne de Beaupre in recognition of the protection of 
their patron saint; but it was " Ste. Anne du Bout de 
I'Isle," called the " Green Isle," twenty-one miles 
southwest of Montreal, to which he refers, and there 
he wrote the song. The story of how he came to 
write it is rather interesting. In 1804 Thomas Moore 
made the journey from Kingston to Montreal in a 
birch-bark canoe, propelled by " Voyageurs " ; a trip 
which, despite the charms of novelty and scenery, 
grew wearisome because of the midsummer heat, the 
slow rate of progress, and the length of time required 
(four days or more), though the boatmen, by singing 
their quaint old French songs, helped to while away 
the hours. Peculiarly interesting these must have 
been with the rhythmic accompaniment of the oars, 
while the breeze carried the full, mellow, resonant 
tones of the hardy oarsmen over the water to the wild 
wooded shores. One of these songs seemed to strike 
particularly the fancy of " the bright, witty, genial 
little Irish poet," and it will be seen how well the 
melody (which he supposed to be the one heard by 
him) suits the measured stroke of oars. Moore wrote 
down the air, and four lines of the song, — the only 
words which he could catch of the peculiar patois; 
these lines are : — 

" Dans mon chemin, j'en reneontrai 
Deux cavaliers^ tres bien months," 



Rock Fort 215 

and the refrain, 

"A I'ombre du bois, je m'en bais jouer; 
A I'ombre du bois, je m'en bais danser." 

" To Mr. Harkness, of Dublin, one of his two com- 
panions on this river excursion, Moore gave, as a 
souvenir on parting, a book which he had been read- 
ing on the journey, and more than fifteen years after- 
wards, on visiting Dublin, that book, containing the 
penciled words and notes of this song, was shown to 
the poet, who had quite forgotten about it. On the 
fly-leaf he had taken down in pencil the words and 
notes of the original air. Beneath them he had an- 
notated occasional changes from the music, but essen- 
tially they were the same, — the words, — such as he 
could understand of them, — and the melody. Even- 
tually he changed the air so entirely that it became 
wholly his own composition, but of this he was ig- 
norant, and until he met years afterward with the 
seemingly valueless relic of his journey, he believed 
that he had retained essentially the original melody. 
So strongly had Moore been impressed with the fact 
that this was the very air sung by the boatmen; so 
closely had it linked itself with the wild scenery of 
the St. Lawrence, that it was with difficulty he could 
force himself to acknowledge the penciled original." 
(L. S. Converse in The Literary World.) 

" La Claire Fontaine " is spoken of as " the na- 
tional air of the Canadian French." This is an an- 
cient song of Poitou in France, is still sung there, and 
also by the French Canadian habitans, " particularly 
in the environs of Quebec." This special song is 
known in Canada by the title " J'ai trop grand peur 
des loups," though the words of " A la claire fon- 
taine," with the refrain, " Gai Ion la, gai le rosier," 
are often sung to the same melody. In the version of 



216 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



" J'ai trop grand peur des loups/' which, is well 
known among the Canadian peasantry of the present 
time, the first two lines, which Moore jotted down, 
occur, with the exception of the word " trois " instead 
of " deux," and as the pretty swing of the air makes 
it well adapted to keeping time with oars, it seems 
probable that this was the old melody which Moore's 
boatmen sang, and that they possibly sang parts of 
two or three songs to that same tune. The line " a 
I'ombre d'un bois " appears in still another of the 
French-Canadian chansons; and almost all of them 
show their origin in ITormandy. 



i 



J'AI TROP GRAND' PEUR DES LOUPS. 



:fc 



^^: 



1. M'en re-ve-nant de la ven- d^e, M'en re-ve- 

2. Dans mon chemin j' ai ren- con - tr4, Dans mon che- 

3. Trois ca - Taliers fort bien months, Trois ca- val- 





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nant de la vendue, 
min j' ai ren - con - tr€, 
iers fort bien mon - t4s, 



Dans mon chemin j'ai 
Trois ca - valiers fort 
Deux b, cheval et 



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ren- con - tr^ Vous m' a- mu - f^ez 
bien monies Vons m'a- mu - sez 
1' autre a pied Vous m'a- mu - sez 



toujours; Jamais je 
toujours; Jamais je 
toujours; Jamais je 



44 



m 



II: 



*Ke£ 



m'en i - rai chez nous; J'ai trop grand' peur des loups. 



FocTc Fori. 



217 



Deux a cheval et I'autre a pied ; (bis) 
Celui d'a pied ra'a demand^, 
Vous m'amusez, etc. 



Celui d'5 pied m'a demand^, (bis) 
Ou irons-nous ee soir coucher? 
Vous m'amusez, etc. 



Ou irons-nous ce soir coucher ? (bis) 

Chez nous, monsieur, si vous voulez. 

Vous m'amusez, etc. 



8. 
Vous trouv'rez un bon souper (bis) 
Et de bons lits pour vous coucher. 
Vous m'amusez, etc. 



Chez nous, monsieur, si vous voulez ; 

(bis) 
Vous trouv'rez un bon souper. 
Vous m'amusez, etc. 

9. 

Et de bons lits pour vous coucher 

(bis) 
Les cavaliers ont accepte. 

Vous m'amusez, etc. 



CANADIAN BOAT SONG. 



(Chant de Voyagcor Canadien.) 



English Words and Music by 
THOMAS MOORE. 



French Version by 
F. R. ANGERS. 




1. Faintly, as tolls the evening chime, Our voices keep tune and our 

1. La cloche tinte au vieux cloclier, Et I'avi-ron suit la 

2. Whyshould we yet our sail unfurl? There is not a breath the blue 

2. Pourquoi donner la voile au vent? P;^s un zephyr ne ride 

3. Utawas' tidel this trembling moon Shall see us float over tliy 
3. Fier Ot - ta- wa, les feux du soir Nous guideront eur ton 



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— 1 — •- 

K 
oars keep time, Our voices keep tune and our oars keep time; 

voix du nocher, Et I'aviron suit la voix du nocher; 

wave to curl. There is not a breath the blue wave to curl. 

le cou - rant, Pas un %€ - phyr ne ride le courant. 

sur - ges soon, Shall see us float o - ver thy sur - ges soon. 

mi- rage noir. Nous guideront sur ton mi-ragenoirl 



^ 






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218 



In Quest of the Quaint. 



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Soon as the woods on shore look dim, We 11 sing at Saint Ann's onr 
Sur le rivage il se fait tard Chantons chan tons 1' air 
But when the wind blows off the shore, O sweetly we' 11 rest our 
Qiiand du bord les vents souffler- ont Vous dor- mirez sur 
Saint of this green isle, hear our prayers — O grant us cool heav'ns and 
Pa - tronne de ces verts ilots, Sainte An-ne ai - de nous 



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parting hymn. Row, brothers, row! the stream runs fast. The rapids are 
du depart: Nagez rameurs, car I'onde fuit, Le rapide est 
weary oar. Blow, breezes, blow I the stream runs fast, The rapids are 
I'a - viron. SoufHez, zephyrs, car I'onde fuit, Le rapide est 
fav'ring airs! Blow, breezes, blow! the stream runs fast. The rapids are 
sur les flots! Soufflez, zephyrs, car I'onde fuit, Le rapide est 



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near and the daylight's past. The rapids are near and the daylight's past, 
proche, et le jour finit, Le rapide est proche, et le jour finit. 



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v'-U- 



Moore represents the song as " a long, incoherent 
story, of which I could understand but little, from 
the barbarous pronunciation of the Canadian," and 
the peculiar manner of repetition in singing, by 
which one only learns one more line of the story with 
each added verse (nine lines being required when 
three would have told it); so it seems that this was 



Rock Fort 219 

the " Chanson dn Voyageiir " which he heard. If 
the boatmen not only sang the words belonging to the 
air, bnt also " A la Claire Fontaine " to the same 
melody, no wonder it seemed interminable. 

Colonel — afterwards Sir Garnet — Wolseley at- 
tained fame when he quelled the uprising in the Red 
Eiver region in 18Y0. The inhabitants were mainly 
French-Canadian half-breeds, descendants of voy- 
ageurs and coureurs-du-bois, " who had formerly 
been the only white explorers of that wild region." 
The soldiers under Wolseley were offered land in re- 
turn for their services, but did not accept. The rail- 
ways now reach those regions, and fortunes could 
have been made from these allotments if the men 
had only been far-sighted enough to realize it. When 
Wolseley was summoned to assist Gordon in the East 
he called for Indian voyageurs from Hochelaga, op- 
posite Montreal, for Nile boatmen. 



In Keewaydin's Realm. 



m KEEWAYDIN'S REALM. 



Bon, Ben and Beau, with the Scrivener, Dabbler, 
and Incorrigible, when sojourning in the lands of the 
Aborigines of the East, became much interested in 
those " men of Sunrise Land " ; and, learning that de- 
scendants of the Algonquins are to be seen in Otta- 
wa, Ojibway, Chippewa and other tribes, became fired 
with desire to study them. One of the sextet quoted: 

" O mighty Sowanna, 
Thy gateways unfold. 
From thy wigwam of sunset 
Lift curtains of gold ! " 

This was considered the decisive dictum as to the 
objective point of the travels of those Bons Amis. 
Maps, tables, statistics proved irresistible magnets, 
drawing them to one of the " unsalted seas " — known 
to early explorers as " Mer Douce " — and the north 
shore of Huron seemed to promise an alluring and 
ideal abiding place for the time when Sirius is reg- 
nant and old Sol so mercilessly pours out caloric. 
There, surely, would " Shawondasee, the South 
Wind," " blow cool across those moving miles," 
though his breath, inland, wilts and scorches. Prox- 
imity to the " Great Sea," as the Indians described 
Lake Superior to Sieur I^icollet, also indicated that 
" Keewaydin, the ISTorthwest Wind," would fre- 
quently refresh with his invigorating air. During 
two days of dreamy and poetic navigation the 
" ISTorseman" * cruised among myriad isles, and 
called at quaint ports, " away in back " from the 

* Not to be found in the Lake fleet. 



224 In Quest of the Quaint. 

estuaries of wild and winding rivers; lumbering set- 
tlements, these, where the travelers became somewhat 
versed in the " lingo of the bush," and talked wisely 
of the transformations of the monarch of the forest. 
" When first felled," said Ben, — (self-constituted 
valet-de-place), — " it is sawed in sections, known as 
crooks, rots, spunks, shakes and knots." Gazing on 
towering stacks of lumber, Beau remarked that un- 
doubtedly " one could get hoard cheap in such local- 
ity," and, parading " bush talk," proposed that they 
should " plank down and settle," unaware that he 
was, in miner's phraseology, demanding payment of 
gambling dues! Scorning such attempts at jocular- 
ity, Ben continued imparting " important informa- 
tion," in this wise: 

" ' Deal ' means board three inches thick; plank is 
board two inches thick ; anything under two inches in 
thickness goes by the name of ' waney ' or board lum- 
ber. A ' square timber ' raft, to weather storms it 
may encounter crossing the lake, has to be strongly 
put together, — a slow and costly process. A frame, 
or ^ dram,' is made, on which about five hundred 
' sticks of timber ' are piled; sometimes there are ten 
of these sections on a raft, and, fastened together by 
chains, a tug drags them ' down the lake.' " 

As the others seemed to endure this infliction with 
resignation, the informant continued: 

" A saw log is any log from twelve to sixteen feet 
long; any round log over eighteen feet is known as 
' dimension timber ' ; the greater portion of saw logs 
are twelve or thirteen to sixteen feet in length, the 
most desirable being sixteen feet. Six inches above 
this is allowed, as the ends become bruised or 
^ broomed up ' in running rapids.* Logs chained to- 

* French-Canadians and Indians repeat prayers before enter- 
ing rapids. 



In Keewaydin^s Realm. 225 

gether form ' booms ' and hold floating saw logs se- 
curely within ; powerful tugs tow the mass, and a trip 
across the lake requires a week's cruise, often two, if 
weather is unfavorable. If the boom breaks, the 
tugs move round outside, keeping the logs within till 
the breach is mended, — quite suggestive of the man- 
ner in which cowboys treat cattle when they stam- 
pede." 

" To those tree fellers, — and that's not slang," 
continued Ben, " the Bush Ranger, or expert, is 
known as ' top sawyer ' ; he estimates the value of 
timber land, and the amount which can be cut from 
it. It requires years of experience and hard work to 
become an expert. Ten miles a day is a good day's 
work when estimating, but sometimes, if good snow 
shoeing, a longer distance can be traveled," 

Within the great mill a demon held sway; and as 
huge trunks vanished in his insatiable maw, he 
emitted a chromatically ascending sz-z-z and sc-re-e-e, 
a shriek of exultation, before which the travelers fled 
to the deck of their boat, there " a propos des bois," 
impromptu conundrums were perpetrated. Any one 
could guess that the Schoolmaster's tree is the birch, 
and that the lover parted from his inamorata could 
only be represented by pine. Evidently the old joker 
could claim the chestnut, and one of h'English h'an- 
cestry, h'oax. In spruce one sees the dandy; the fish- 
erman's preference would be the beech; the ash for 
the chandler; for the Arctic traveler, fir; for the pol- 
itician and the profane man, the Japanese gincko 
(which now appears in our streets); and they might 
have kept on till this day had not Bon called a halt, 
remarking to Ben that sufficient evidence had been 
received of the kind of stick he was, therefore his 
bark might cease; unless he desired his auditors to 



226 In Quest of the Quaint. 

get hored in different manner from that which Beau 
had suggested. 

" Slowly o'er the shimmering landscape 
Fell the evening's dusk and coolness, 
And the long and level sunbeams 
Shot their spears into the forest. 
Breaking through its shields of shadow, 
Eushed into each secret ambush, 
Searched each thicket, dingle, hollow." 

The vessel directed its course toward the Lauren- 
tian-bordered north shore, whence a long point 
reached into the golden glory, its rocky heights trans- 
figured by distance and a veil of luminous haze, and 
a gorgeous panoply of cloud was repeated in water of 
oily smoothness. This suggested to the romantic 
travelers the arm of " Wabun, Father of the Winds 
of Heaven," beckoning " to the kingdom of the west 
wind." 

When the long-lingering twilight faded the vessel 
seemed to vanish from the mortal ken and to slide 
into " midnight deeps " ; then behold Aurora Bore- 
alis " flaring far away to northward " ; weird pageant 
which the Indians believed to be " warriors with their 
plumes and war clubs." Fitting herald of entrance 
into regions of mystery and legend, when, at the 
" wee sma' hour ayant the twal," throbbing engines 
were stilled at 

TCHI-BAO-NON-ING, 

" fine canoe channel," fittingly descriptive of the In- 
dian name, and the travelers regretted that it has not 
been retained, quite resenting the modern title, bor- 
rowed from the Emerald Isle, however appropriate 
that might seem from the fact that " the gintleman 
that pays the rint " was much in evidence, as porcine 
specimens of every size and variety of color peram- 



In Keewaydin' s Reabn. 227 

liiilated highways and byways. Along one side of 
this admirable waterway stretches the simple old- 
time-y village, and, a stone's throw across, George 
Island forms the further boundary of ISTanabojo's 
Lane, and is inhabited by his people, who the French 
residents of the quaint little porch call " les sauv- 
ages." They are by no means wild, however, but 
mild of voice and manner; even the smallest children, 
serious to stolidity, though they, like their elders, 
may be studying the stranger's curiously from their 
solemn-looking but limpid and lustrous black eyes. 
Students of the many dialects of the Red Man's lan- 
guage in the Eastern Provinces give " chemaun " as 
their word for canoe; here the syllable " che " be- 
comes " tchi," and " mau " is changed to " bao " in 
the Lake region. In some dialects the sound of a 
laugh is represented by " E-e-e " for mouth, and the 
tick of a clock suggested in their word " Tik-ka-tah- 
kah " for that household convenience. Outside the 
village, where an arm of the bay curves caressingly 
round " Rocher Rouge," and smiling meadows stretch 
to tree-fringed water, the travelers were deposited 
(emitting sighs of satisfaction) and Monsieur Le Fer- 
mier, — most kindly host, — was ever ready to do 
their pleasure. Delectable the atmosphere, wondrous 
the mirrored pictures of mountain-bordered shore, fir- 
crested points and isles, and peace profound per- 
vaded the place, save that a distant murmur, — a lov- 
ing whisper in ]^ature's ear, — could be heard. This 
the Indians call " mudway-aushka," the " sound of 
waves on a shore," and that alone proclaimed proxim- 
ity to the miniature sea, which had smiled so gra- 
ciously upon the travelers that they could not believe 
that it can take on most of the phases of " the vasty 
deep." 

A marvelous artist is Keewaydin, and when a 



228 In Quest of the Quaint. 

nor' wester sets in snperb is his coloring; surf tumbles 
on the rich red rock border of even sheltered coves, 
turns the sea to sapphire over " distant deeps/' and 
to liquid emerald on nearer shallows, while the moun- 
tains, though more than a mile distant, loom in crys- 
talline clearness. 

" Mahng," the loon, and " Kayoshk," the sea gull, 
fascinate with their evolutions; gallantly the former 
breasts the waves, sometimes touching his wings to 
the water, — as an oarsman " feathers ", — ^preparatory 
to a plunge, then emerging far away, emits his eerie 
call.* The wheeling, swooping gulls send forth their 
peculiar creaking cry, which becomes a bubbling 
chuckle when, in the wake of a boat, they dive for 
bits tossed to " the captain's chickens." Without ap- 
parent movement of the wide-stretched pinions, they 
slide down the wind, and, resting on wave-crests, 
here, there and yonder, resemble small ducks as, with 
wings closely folded, they bob and sway with saucy 
serenity, as if quite aware that they are disporting 
themselves under Government protection. 

The Dabbler approved of the staunch and sturdy 
fisher's craft, with their picturesque tanned sails, con- 
trasting as strongly with water and pine-clothed 
shore as the syenite rock which is scattered through 
this region, and seems to have been the boat builder's 
guide for tint. Two masts, twenty feet at least in 
height, support brown-red canvas, the main-sail huge 
in proportions; the other, exact though smaller copy, 
" might be called major and minor," Bon remarked. 
The name, skiff, seemed more fitting for a much 
smaller, frailer vessel, and the Yankee " double- 

* Quite a contrast to the white man's contemptuous phrase, 
" chicken-hearted," is the Indian's " mahn-go-tay-see," lion- 
hearted, brave. 



230 In Quest of the Quaint. 

ender " applicable to tlie peculiar bateau, as row- 
boats and small sloops or cats have bow and stern 
alike, and the largest have rounded instead of square 
stern. The Marblehead sailor's adage, that one can 
judge a man " by the cut of his jib," came to mind 
when the summerers witnessed the marking out on 
the dock of one of those valuable aids to navigation^ 
and later, when the wide planks appeared in presum- 
ably ensanguined condition, 'twas naught but the 
staining of the sails which had produced this rather 
startling hue, and the shuddering spectator was re- 
lieved, if he had felt (again in Marblehead parlance) 
at all " crimmy." 

Hardy skippers and admirable guides convoyed the 
friends far out for deep water fishing, or, gliding 
noiselessly into " Portage Convert," or distant coves, 
lured smaller piscatorial specimens from their hiding 
places. Then, again, sure of sight and foot in even 
" blind trails," they led the way up the rugged Lau- 
rentians to wild tarns upon their crests, or away back 
in the forest to lonely lakes (entrancing to sportsmen) 
where in winter they become " shantymen " and en- 
gage in lumbering. 

Regis, lithe and bronzed, paddling his che- 
maun " where the rushes waved and whispered," 
told his passengers that from these " apukwa " the In- 
dians weave mats, as described in " Hiawatha," such 
as they had seen Monsieur Peau Rouge bringing to 
the landing with " meenagha " (blueberries) to bar- 
ter. Yes, and do not those same reeds whisper, " Le 
Roi Midas, a des oreilles d'anes ? " How his dark 
eyes danced when one told him of a youth, who, 
boasting of his ^^ears of foreign travel, said : " J'etais 
un ane a Londres; j'etais un ane a Madrid; j'etais un 
ane a Moscow," and was answered, " Oui, vous 
avez ete un ane partout ! " 



In Keewaydin' s Ileal ))i. 231 

When making the seven-mile circuit of George 
Island in such fascinating manner, " Kat Portage " 
was pointed out; the depression at the top of the pass 
being explained as " the place where JSTenabojo took 
a bite out to make his road better," and on the south 
shore of this isle there is the Giant's Well and Stair- 
way, — Nenabojou's Cauldron, — where the strata of 
red rock are singularly turned up on edge, and in an 
inner seam the pool was formed where the Indian 
deity cooked the delicate and toothsome little fish, 
" Kokanangwi," which " hide under flat stones 
around the edge of outer islands to the southwest." 
This locality was the favorite haunt of 

NENAWBOZHOO. 

This Manitou or Guardian Spirit resembles the 
beneficent and genial giant of the Eastern Provinces, 
Glooscap. The name is also rendered ISTenabojo or 
ISTanibojou. (One of Longfellow's models for " Hia- 
watha " was " Manabozo.") He is still the protecting 
spirit of navigators and fishers, and through all this 
northland are hosts of brave ones, both red man and 
pale-face, for him to guide and guard. The Indian 
consider him the progenitor of his race, though some 
highly educated ones of the present time agree with 
modern savants in the belief that their ancestors were 
Egyptians, who during the course of centuries made 
their way across Behring Strait. Their picture-writ- 
ing, physiognomy, and some racial characteristics, are 
held up as proofs of this theory.* In their traditions 
Bible history is curiously mingled with ISTorse my- 

* The Jesfeup expedition has recently returned from North- 
western Siberia, bringing one hundred eases of specimens. The 
object of their investigations was to prove that the North 
American Indians are of Asiatic origin. 



232 In Quest of the Quaint. 

thology and legend, the latter handed down and 
passed on from their brethren of the Eastern Prov- 
inces. Those brothers " from the land of light and 
morning " {vide Longfellow) heard from their an- 
cestors the weird tales of early explorers in " Amer- 
ique du ISTord." 

Nenawbozhoo called the inhabitants of the earth 
his " nephews," and taught them how to make uten- 
sils, boats, " sugar from trees," and other useful arts. 
His mother was a beautiful being, very devout, who 
engaged in long fasts, during which she saw visions, 
and declared that she conversed with the gods. They 
told her that her sons would be wonderful men, who 
would do great things for the human race. These 
sons were, seemingly, the embodiment of Good and 
Evil; the first-born, from his earliest days beneficent 
and desirous of helping his people, became a seer and 
mighty hunter; the other a monster who killed his 
mother, fled to the forest and was never seen again. 
" Gritchi-manito the mighty " had as his companion 
in the hunt, not a dog, but a great black wolf. When 
[N^enawbozhoo learned that the dread creature who 
was called his brother had caused the death of his 
mother, he set out to find and exterminate the mon- 
strosity, traveling over the earth and through forests 
and mountain fastnesses. He finally vanquished him, 
and the body of " Stone Heart " became masses of 
flint, which any one can see scattered throughout this 
region. Indians point out depressions in the rock, 
which might suggest huge foot-prints ; these they call 
the " Giant's Track," and a round hole, " about as 
large and deep as a common brass kettle," is " his ket- 
tle, that he dropped when chasing his brother." 

Along the moraine of Alpine glaciers such holes, 
— called moulins by the peasants, — are frequently 
seen ; Nature's pestle and mortar, as she has manuf ac- 



In Keewaydin's Realm. 233 

tured them by the action of water, constantly whirl- 
ing and grinding a stone in a hollow of the rock. 

One of the friends was reminded of the Indians' 
" stone-soup/' the concoction of which he had wit- 
nessed when auditors doubted Ked Skin's ability in 
culinary art. First, on the shore, preferably a sand 
beach, a pit was dug, lined with stones, and a roaring 
fire built thereon, which, after burning a certain 
length of time, was " drawn." One of these hot 
stones dropped in one of the rock kettles set the water 
boiling, so soup was being prepared while the " squan- 
tum " progressed. Over the hot stones of the fire-pit 
vegetables and shell fish, between layers of wet sea- 
weed, were piled, the whole covered with a sail; and 
thus the cooking was done by steam, and the fine 
flavor retained by shell fish, while the corn and pota- 
toes, in their natural coverings, were " done to a 
turn." 

JiTenawbozhoo, having received warning that a tre- 
mendous storm was to come, set about building a vast 
raft with a huge wigwam upon it, in which he and 
his "nephews," and a great company of animals, were 
saved. The cause of the great flood was that the 
" God of the Deep " was jealous of Gitchi-manito's 
hunting dog, the great black wolf; he one day was 
successful in luring it to his confidence, when he 
killed it, and made a great feast, inviting all the mon- 
sters of the deep to come and partake. There was a 
certain place on the shore where the God of the Deep 
was accustomed to come with his hosts to sun them- 
selves and enjoy the pleasure of being on dry land. 
The Mighty Hunter knew this spot, so strung his bow 
and trimmed his arrow and prepared to watch, and 
by his supernatural power transformed himself into 
a black stump. Water tigers and serpents asked their 
master to accompany them ashore ; he was afraid that 



234 In Quest of the Quaint. 

the Mighty One would be lurking about and ready 
to kill him because he had killed his black wolf, so 
he told them to go ashore and see that all was clear. 
They examined the stump (which they had not no- 
ticed before) ; the tigers climbed it and inserted their 
long sharp claws, and the serpents wound round it 
like tightly coiled cables. On learning that nothing 
could be found of uncanny nature, the sea mon- 
sters, with their master, came ashore, and the host 
soon were basking and dozing in the hot sand of the 
beach. Then the stump assumed proper shape, and, 
fixing one of his best arrows into his bow, the Great 
One shot the God of the Deep through the forehead, 
his vulnerable spot. Then all the water monsters 
" rushed out, chasing the slayer of their master," and 
the Indian deity " fled for his life, pursued by moun- 
tains of water " ; but, as he had been so far-sighted as 
to have his great boat prepared, he was thus saved 
from destruction, with his family and animals. After 
sailing for months, when this great navigator wished 
to learn if the waters were subsiding, he sent the 
beaver, but he died before reaching bottom and came 
floating to the surface, where his master revived him 
by blowing in his nostrils. Then he called the musk- 
rat, " his good diver," and " flattered and cajoled 
him," instructing him to " bring back earth from the 
bottom in his paw." The muskrat also expired before 
reaching the surface; but his master, as he drew him 
into the great wigwam boat, observed the earth in the 
creature's paw. This he made into a small parcel and 
fastened it to the neck of the raven, sending that bird 
out as his third messenger; " then the waters began to 
recede very fast, and soon the earth came back to its 
natural shape, as it had been before." 



In Keeivaydin's Realm. 235 

Of the Indian reservation, on the adjacent great 
island, had Pere Casaque told, dwelling with affec- 
tionate interest on the virtues of his children, young 
and old, seeming himself to be imbued with the spirit 
of the early missionaries to the red man, of whom 
Parkman tells, and such a man, full of the spirit of 
brotherly love and kindliness, the early settlers here 
might have dubbed Brother Black Kobe, as they did 
the pioneer priests of that day. 

So to Wikwemikong, on the Grand Manitoulin, 
would the sextet hie them, and there found fine large 
ecclesiastical edifices, a neat, comfortable village, a 
contented community. Preparations for a pictur- 
esque out-door festival were in progress, and deft 
fingers, which turn out such interesting and original 
quill-embroideries, were fashioning, from paper, quite 
creditable representations of dainty blossoms from 
the nun's garden, with which arches and designs were 
to be ornamented. These were also to be held in 
place by means of the woodman's cord, made from 
soaked, beaten and twisted elm bark. Bright eyes 
and earnest faces in school room indicated that pupils 
would do credit to their instructors ; and one member 
of the Investigating Committee (as the sextet called 
themselves) related a reminiscence of an ancestor's 
Dominie-days. When he called upon a heedless hob- 
ble-de-hoy to " give the parts of speech " he was an- 
swered: " Ortho-graffy, Etty-mol-o-jee, Swine-tax 
and Paras-sody," and another (scintillant scion of 
Puritan stock), on being requested to read: 

" His head was silvered o'er with age. 
And long experience made him sage," 

rendered it: 

" His head was shiA^ered o'er with eggs, 
And long expungence made him sag ! " 



236 In Quest of the Quaint. 

jSTeedless to sav that the proverbial caution, as well 
as the famed keen sight of the Children of the For- 
est, would prevent their making such exhibition as 
that ! 

This region might also have been a favorite resort 
of the Great Wind Blower, or Giant Eagle, who was 
checked and curbed on Bay Chaleur by Glooscap; 
and the game of battledoor and shuttlecock, which 
the Genii of the Great Lakes play, was noted by Mar- 
quette, in 1670. He remarked that: " They seem in- 
cessantly tossing ball at each other. No sooner has 
the wind ceased blowing from Lake Michigan than 
Lake Huron hurls back the gale it has received, and 
Lake Superior in its turn sends forth its blast from 
another quarter, and thus the game is played from 
one to the other; and as these lakes are of vast extent 
the winds cannot be otherwise than boisterous, espe- 
cially during the autumn." 

In the " Relations des Jesuits " Pere Marquette 
said that when he attempted to tell the Indians of 
the crucifixion they asked, " Where was that done — 
here in America ? " He answered, " No ; this dread- 
ful crime was committed in the old country." Then 
they queried: "By Indians or white people?" and 
when he replied: " By white people called Jews," 
they retorted: " We had no part in this great crime, 
killing your God. You white people must make res- 
titution ! " 

" Mudjekeewis," " Father of the Winds of 
Heaven," who is also known as " Kabeyun," " the 
West Wind," sent his most favoring breezes on this 
occasion, and when the tourists, on the return trip, 
gazed out and up the North Channel (mentally plan- 
ning further explorations thitherward, the skipper 
was persuaded to relate a 



In KeewaydirC s Realm. 237 

LEGEND OF MANITOULIN. 

The Ottawas settled about the middle of the island, 
Avhere there is a large lake, and there was much 
game, large and small; the land, too, was fertile, and 
they lived in peace and comfort many centuries in this 
" Home of Good Spirits." Kabenaw, the largest man 
in the tribe, was their greatest warrior and prophet, 
and attained supernatural power. At the time when 
he was a young brave, undergoing fasts to prepare 
him for becoming a warrior, as was their custom (like 
the Crusaders), he was frequently visited by a giant 
deity, who again and again asked Kabenaw why he 
did not offer him one of his people as a sacrifice. 
Kabenaw refused, but being still entreated, finally 
promised that if the " Great One " would assist him 
he would give as a sacrifice his prisoners in war. This 
medicine man, or magician, when advised to set lines 
for fish, placed them with hooks in deep water, but 
when " moons after," instead of going to see what he 
had caught, he marched to the forest and there found 
many of his lines, " and each one with a bear at the 
end," so he returned laden with food for winter and 
all the tribe had a great feast. 

In the Winnebago tribe was a great man called 
Yellow Thunder, who they thought equal to Kabe- 
naw, so they made a great expedition to Manitoulin 
to witness a contest between these huge warriors. 
By his supernatural power he was aware of what was 
going on, and told his people to prepare for war. Yel- 
low Thunder landed and went directly to the village 
by the lake in the interior of the island, and Kabe- 
naw went to meet the invader. They captured and 
questioned him as to the number of the Ottawas, and 
if they were ready to fight, whether Kabenaw was in 
his tepee (lodge) or gone hunting, and were answered 



238 In Quest of the Quaint. 

that the people were ready for battle, but the Great 
Warrior was not at home. Then the Winnebagos 
tied their informant, put him in a pit, covering the 
opening with logs, bark, stones and earth; but the 
captive, by his supernatural power, released himself, 
and when he came to the village told his people to be 
prepared for war. 

JSText day there was a great battle, but the Giant 
Magician remained in his lodge, while Yellow Thun- 
der, painted and hideous as a demon, strode about, 
calling on his rival to come out. The people told him 
it was their great man whom the Winnebago giant 
had buried, and Yellow Thunder was exultant, think- 
ing he had conquered the Ottawas ; but then in a few 
moments Kabenaw came out of the lodge, arrayed in 
black bear skins, and carrying a huge war club, — 
such an exordinarily magnificent figure that Yellow 
Thunder was overawed, though he did not dare to 
back out lest his people should call him " Shangoda- 
yah " — coward. He was soon slain, and the Winne- 
bagoes, acknowledging themselves conquered, begged 
to be allowed to depart in peace. After this Kabe- 
naw became tired of living, but, being supernatural, 
could not die unless by such means as he should de- 
cide. So he allowed his enemies to capture, bind and 
throw him in the lake, but he reappeared. Then he 
told them they must cut the flesh from his bones, 
each brave a piece, and these scattered through the 
land formed the red and white streaked rocks (the 
red representing his flesh, the white the muscle), 
while his skeleton formed the mountain chain, as 
these are all to be seen at the present day. 

Marquette called the Hurons " Etontontathrons," 
and N^icholas Perot spoke of the Manitoulin as the 
" Island of Outaouas " (Ottawas), " which extends 
the length of Lake Huron "; but that was certainly 



In Kcewaydin's Realm. 239 

" stretching it " as extravagantly as did early navi- 
gators the limits of the Bay of Fiindy.* Perot was 
sent to a council of Indians in 1671, and describes, in 
quaintly interesting style, the ceremony of taking 
possession of the country about the Great Lakes, on 
behalf of Louis XIV., and declaring the people 
protegees and subjects of the King. 

In 1634 Jean Nicolet journeyed by the Ottawa 
River, Lake ]^ipissing and Georgian Bay, " towards 
the land of the Winnebagos " ; he was conveyed by 
seven friendly Indians in birch-bark canoes. He met 
the '' Nation of Beavers " — " ahmeek," or, " amik " 
beaver — called Amikouets, who lived originally on 
the Isles du Castor in Lake Michigan, afterwards on 
the Manitoulin. The French called them " Nez 
Perces," as they wore ornaments and feathers thrust 
through the cartilege between the nostrils. 

The " totem," or coat-of-arms, of the Ottawas was 
the moose ; of the Ttoquisor Noquets, the bear, — from 
" no-ka " bear, — and so each tribe had its particular 
symbol. The French called the Algonquin Ojibiwas 
(Ojibways) and Chippewas in this region, and at the 
Sault Ste. Marie, " Saulteurs," and the Sioux called 
them Raratwans, " people of the falls." The French 
also called the Indians of Fox River Les Renards and 
Musquakies. These were the Mascoutins of whom 
Champlain tells in 1615. From them l^icolet heard 
of the " great sea," Superior, and the Mississippi — 
" missi," great; " sepe," water. " The country west- 
ward from Quebec, and southward to and along the 
Ohio River, to the west boundary of what is now Min- 
nesota, and all the country drained into Lakes Su- 
perior and Huron, was called Michilimackinac f — the 

* Cape Sable, N. S., to Cape Cod, Mass. 

f Belonging to the turtle tribe of Indians is the supposition. 



240 In Quest of the Quaint. 

land of the great turtle. The nine Iroquois tribes 
were divided into two divisions of four or five tribes 
each; some of these were called Atiniathan, and 
known as the Tortoise tribe. Their tradition was, 
that when the Master of Life made the earth, He 
placed it on a tortoise, and when there were earth- 
quakes they were caused by trembling of the tortoise. 
(There is an Oriental myth similar to this.) Some of 
the Huron bands had for totems, or tribe symbols, 
the tortoise, bear and plover; and with them, as with 
the Iroquois, the bear was brother to the tortoise ; yet 
they were not on fraternal terms, according to a son 
of Chief Black Hawk, who tells of their fighting to 
extermination at Mackinac Island. 

Most romantic and fascinating it is to travel, in 
small craft, inside the chain of isles to the East of 
Chemaunaning, to French River, and thence to Lake 
Nipissing; and if around the camp-fire, — to the ac- 
companiment of crackling birch and murmuring 
pines, — the guide relates legends, another interest is 
added to the attractions of that charming sheet of 
water. In his reminiscences of former visits he may 
tell of methods of trading with Indians in olden time ; 
that " the weight of the hand in the scale stood for 
one pound, of the foot two pounds " ; that " liquor 
was sold by measuring with a woman's thimble; and 
one beaver skin was exchanged for a double handful 
of salt " ; and " Lo, the poor Indian " was defrauded. 
He will tell of a friend at a Hudson's Bay post, lo- 
cated in that district, who keeps some old records, or 
bills, on which a drawing of a pig with a certain num- 
ber of strokes beside it signified so many barrels of 
pork; a picture of a powder horn and numerous 
scratches meant such number of pounds of shot, and 
so on. 



In Keetvay din's Realm. 241 

LEGENDS OF NIPIS8ING, 

The Ottawas contmually moved to the northwest, 
because of their deadly enemies, the Iroquois. Thus 
they came to a beautiful lake, which they named 
Ke-tchi-ne-bissing, and there stopped and occupied 
the surrounding country, forming great villages, 
where they resided for ages. At last they became 
discontented, possibly imbued with desire to roam 
again, and concluded that the place was haunted by a 
presiding deity, who was not favorable to them. A 
woman went to the beach of Lake Ketchinebissing to 
wash clothes, taking her infant, which was tied to a 
board in Indian fashion, and placing it near the edge 
of the water that it might be amused by watching her 
while at work. She ran to the wigwam for some- 
thing, and on her return found the child gone. Fran- 
tically she flew to the village, screaming and crying 
that her child was stolen; and all the people turned 
out to search, but no trace of the missing child was 
found. A few days later two lovers sat on the high- 
est hillock back of the village, and " while talking 
very much love to each other " (as the Indian narra- 
tor amusingly expressed it) they heard an infant's 
cry, and, strangely enough, the sound appeared to 
come from the earth beneath their feet. Terribly 
frightened they ran to the village and told the people, 
who called their magicians or medicine men together 
to divine the mystery; and some of these " workers of 
strange incantations " went into a state of clairvoy- 
ance, " which was a common practice among Indians 
at that time." Then the chief magician went to the 
beach and plunged into the water, remaining invisi- 
ble for a long time. When he returned he reported 
that he had found an opening in the rock, — in deep 
water far out, — ^which led to a passage reaching 



242 In Quest of the Quaint. 

toward the top of the hill where the amorous couple 
had been sitting when they heard the child's wail.* 
He thought the child had been conveyed through this 
by an evil monster. Another council was held, and 
magicians decided to dig down in the hill to reach this 
passage. The whole city turned out to dig, and 
finally came to the passage in the hill. From this two 
monsters rushed out, — one, " as large as a wolf, jet 
black, but with a flaming tail," escaped and plunged 
in the lake ; the other, " in the form of a great bear, 
was pounded to death " by the Aborigines. After 
this the people continued digging and found the iden- 
tical child, but it was dead, the first monster having 
killed it just before he came forth by inserting his 
" great claws in the top of the child's head as re- 
venge." Then the Indians made a great feast and 
roasted the great bear. A depression in the earth 
where this excavation was made and the monsters 
came out is said to be visible to this day. 

From the Indian chief, " L'Oiseau Noir " (Black 
Hawk), came the legend which Longfellow tells in 
" Hiawatha's Fishing." The story was that Kenaw- 
bozhoo learned of a gTcat fish, living in Mpissing, 
which was so huge and ferocious that it would swal- 
low men in their boats " like swallowing a little clam 
in the shell." He decided that it should be disposed 
of, so he went to the lake in his canoe, singing jeering 
songs to taunt and entice the monster. At last the 
great fish came out and gulped down the great Indian 
and his craft; but that was just what he wanted, and 
Avith his weapons he " caused such pain to the mon- 

* Hanging Lake in Colorado is fed by an immense spring 
which gushes from the rocks hundreds of feet above the water, 
and it is said that venturesome explorers dashing through this 
torrent have explored many caverns under the bed of the lake. 



In Keewaydin's Realm. 243 

ster that it became crazy and started at full speed; 
but, being wild with pain, it could not steer or stop, 
and so ran on land and expired." Nenawbozhoo 
came out, like Jonah, went home and smoked his pipe, 
" satisfied that he had saved many people by disposing 
of the huge fish." 

The Indians supposed Lake Nipissing, — '' Region 
of Fine Lands and Great Fish," — to be the source of 
the Ottawa River. They probably passed out from 
the lake through a stream at the east shore, by which 
they traveled through Nasbonsing and Talon lakes to 
Mattawan River, which flows into the Ottawa. The 
source of the Ottawa is in small lakes, Lac des 
Quinze and Lake Myizowaja, north of Lake Temis- 
camingue, the latter now " opening up " as a sports- 
men's resort. 

The confreres tried to picture in mental vision 
these smiling scenes in hyperborean aspect, when : — 

" O'er all the dreary northland 
Mighty Peboan, the Winter, 
Breathing on the lakes and rivers 
Into stone had changed their waters; " 

and when 

" The plains were strewn with whiteness, 
One uninterrupted level. 
As if, stooping, the Creator 
With His hand had smoothed tliem over." 

After navigation closes, however {vide Regis), how 
quickly and gaily in their sleighs they can skim over 
to ports on the Great Isle, or visit friends fifty miles 
distant on the north shore. Then the hunt, on snow- 
shoes; fishing through the ice; weekly merry-mak- 
ings, with their favorite " gigue," which they dance 
with grace and agility. These and other pleasures 
and avocations are quite sufficient to dispel " indi- 
goes," if such cheerful people could ever be inclined 



244 In Quest of the Quaint. 

to see shades of that hue in their mental landscape. 
And why, in local parlance, should such an interest- 
ing man be known by such remarkable cognomen as 
Pea-nut ? Even masculine curiosity must be aroused 
by such atrocity; and at last was evoked: — 

regis' S STORY. 

An' so you will dat I tell you how I coom by dat 
name ? — ^but yes, it is wot you call f onnee ; and it is 
gif me par un jeun Anglais, ven I haf been mit eem 
in de fores' for he mek measure de big tree; he Sir- 
veyor, wot you call. 'Ee is farceur, an 'ee mek zhoke 
mit me, — oh 'ee is drole ! Eh bien, my nem is Pen- 
neaut, an' zo you zee 'ow 'ee chenge dat. Mon 
Bisaieul, — dat is wot you call great-gran'-fadther, — 
was un gentil-homme de la belle France, an' 'ee kem 
'ere de Nouvelle France wid de yoong mens of dat 
time ; dey vish to zee de new countree, an' dey haf de 
vish for de aventure. (My yoong Englisher, 'ee zay, 
"Yes, dat is wot we call un soldat de la fortune.") 
Ver' goot, 'ee lif 'ere manee year, an' 'ee is marry wid 
la belle sauvage, an 'ee is bickum de great man off 
de blace. An' 'ees zon, mon gran'pere, is alzo de 
gran' 'oontare, de trappeur, de coureur-du-bois, an' 
zo my f adther, 'ee haf mos' de zame kin' off life ; an' 
I vas learn all dose tings from 'eem. Vel, my fadther 
is vork vor de Oodson Bay Coompnee, an' one time 
dere is come un beeg man 'oo zay 'ee is coUec' vor de 
Fur Compnee, an' 'ee vish 'eem for bring ees skin and 
go wit 'eem to de Chief Factor (wot you call) at La 
Cloche. Zo dey haf mooch paquets off skeen, un dey 
drive on de cisse; but it vas late in de zeezon, an' 
de glace is veek, an' de 'orse broke throo de eisse, an' 
de men varra mooch scare. De oder man 'ee tooken 
off 'ees mitaine for better ole de rene, an' 'ees 'an's is 
freeze. Dey haf to let de 'orse an' de traineau go for 



In Keewaydin' s Realm. 245 

zave demself s ; an' my gran'f adther 'ee drag de etran- 
gere back to safe blace, an' zese one paquet off de 
skeen bif or de res' disap'r een de vatere ; an' dey start 
for walk to de Oodson Bay post. My gran'fadther 
haf de paquet on 'ees back, an' after wile 'ee fell in 
'ole, an' de oder man, — it was tres,fortement, difficile, 
wit 'ees zore 'ans, — catched 'ole of dees beeg rouleau, 
lak wot you call nap-sacque, an' 'ee try for pool 'eem 
out. De edge vas brekin' an' zinkin', but 'ee roll 
'eemzeK back vrom de 'ole, an' zo dey got avay vrom 
dat dangerzom blace. Wen dey reech de Pos' 'ouse 
my gran'fadther roob de man's zore 'ans wit znow, 
an' den 'ee mek cataplasm off^ herbes medicinales, vich 
'ee mek zoft wit de mallet. De nex' day 'ee tole de 
oder man dat 'ee mus' pool off de skeen, vich vas blis- 
tare, like as it vas burn; an' de man zay, " Yich off 
your martere vas it, dat vas flay alife f " but 'ee 
voomit, an' 'ee nevare skritch ! Den my gran'- 
pere 'ee put on salf (wot you call), dat is, onquent; 
an' aftere, 'ee wrap de 'ans in fresh mus'rat skeen, 
wit de raw zide nex' 'ees flesh, an' den 'ee mek de muff 
of oder fur, an' zo 'ee could go on 'ees journee. Bi- 
fore 'ee went 'ee tole my gran'fadther dat 'ee is not 
de trappeur, but 'ee is coom dere for fin' 'eem; an' 
'ee zay dat 'ee is an' agen' off an' avocat een France. 
'Ee zay dat my gran'fadther name ees Perenoptere, 
an' dat dere ees prop'ty vor 'eem een France. Every 
von haf suppos' dat de prop'ty vood nevare be claim, 
an' some man vich haf no right is possess it; but dis 
oder man 'af promis' dat 'ee vould try for fin' my 
gran'fadther. But dis vas an caucus' for 'eem get send 
to Amerique; an' 'ee vas resolf dat 'ee vood get dat 
prop'ty een 'ees 'ans; but 'ee 'ad foun' de man vor 
'oom 'ee zearch vas a goot man, an' 'ee vas shame; 
an' den 'ee 'ad safe 'ees life. My gran'fadther zay 
yes, 'ee haf know dis, about de name an' de prop'ty, 



246 In Quest of the Quaint. 

vor 'ees fadther "ad tole 'eem, an' vat 'ee mus' do 
for claim eet; ven some one off de famlee in France 
go for die; but 'ee haf not 'ad de means for hear, oi 
for go; an' anny'ow 'ee vas priiare for leev 'ere. 'Ee 
af zhow dis agen' 'ees crete heraldique, vor vy 'ee 
vas call L'Oiseau Noir. Dis ees de name off 'ees 
fam'ly, vor de Perenoptere ees de beeg bird off de 
Pyrenees; an' ven 'ees ancetre 'ees en de Crusad' 'ee 
'af I'oiseau noir on 'ees bouclier, vot you call sliieF. 
My gran'fadther av' tole de agen' dat 'ee is alzo safe 
'ees life, ven 'ee pool 'eem out de watare; zo dey are 
goot fren'. An' aftervorts dis man sen' to 'eem, all 
de time, efery mont', de monee from de estat een 
France. Den my gran'fadther 'ee af 'elp all dose 
peopl' vot af been goot to 'eem; all de time, wen day 
seek, or wen deir crops ees not goot, or wen anyding 
coom wot gif dem drouple; an' dey lofe 'eem lak 'ee 
vas Seigneur, exactement lak eet was een de Province 
in ole time." 

At the conclusion of this " ower true tale " Bon re- 
marked: " Though Mistress Hauton has been pitying 
us, and no doubt satirically quoting from Goldsmith, 
we know she is jealous ! We are ' remote ' because 
we prefer to be, — and that enhances our pleasure, — 
but the rest does not apply; for certainly, with such 
kindly folk to minister to us, we are not ' unfriend- 
ed ' ; with The Incorrigible as Court Jester, we can- 
not be ' melancholy,' and with the Prime Mover to 
prod us in our expeditions, neither can we be ' slow.' " 

When at last the day of departure came, — alas, 
that it could no longer be deferred ! — the friends 
seemed to be of one mind, as they warbled in unison 
their parting song : 

So we must leave this beauteous scene! 

(We hope but for a while.) 

To come again we surely mean, 

" Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile." 



Index. 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Aborigines 223 

Odin of 147 

Abraham, COte d' 200 

Plains of 200 

Acadians 200 

Alba, Terra 58 

Albanel, P6re 158 

Algonquins . . 75, 213, 223, 239 

Amikouets 239 

Anne La Bonne, Ste 197 

Mont Ste 127 

Antoine, Mt. St 165 

Apukwa (Reed) 230 

Arched Rock 61 

Atiniathan Indians 240 

Aurora, Indian Belief of . . 226 

Basin, Minas 58 

Bay Chaleur 42, 102, 104 

Fundy...58, 97, 99, 148, 239 

Gaspe 123, 124 

Ha-ha 152 

St. Paul 167, 172, 176 

Beaver Nation 239 

BeUs 205 

Beluga Borealis 160, 185 

Benezet, Anthony 102, 200 

Bie, Ste. Cecile du .... 143, 148 

Blagouse, Mont 176 

Blomidon 98, 102 

Bois, Coureurs du 202 

Bon Ami Point 51, 63 

Bonaventure Island 102 

Bonhomme Mountains .... 201 

Bore, The 94 

Break-neck Stairs 194 

Bride, The Titan's 149-151 

Calgche 209 

Campbellton 71 

Canoes, Gasp6 132 



PAGE. 

Cap Canon 129 

Corbeau 165 

Desespoir 19, 110 

D'Or 102 

Martin 185 

Noir 18 

Rosier 122, 134 

Tourmente 163 

Cape Gaspe 121, 122 

Sharp 98, 102 

Split 98, 102 

Carleton 5, 30 

Carlisle, New 104 

Cartier, Jacques 124, 213 

Cascapedia River 27 

Grand and Petit 15, 27 

Indian Name of 27 

Salmon 15 

Cataclysmic Theory, Sag- 

uenay 160 

Catalaughn 197 

Chaleur Bay, Climate of 

103, 104 
Chaleurs, La Baie des..42, 102 

Channel, Chignecto 9b 

Minas 102 

Charlevoix 157 

Charlo River 49 

Chevalier de Levis 201 

Chicoutimi 159 

Chignecto Channel 98 

Chippewa Indians 223 

Church and Service, Maria 24 
Church, Indian Reserva- 
tion 26 

Churches in Quebec 205 

Cliff, Rainbow 102 

Climate, Chaleur Bay. 103, 104 

Cloche, La 244 

Corduroy Road 25 

Cortereal's Rock 83 



250 



Index. 



PAGE. 

Cotelan 197 

Coudres, Isle aux .... 165, 182 

Convert Portage 230 

Cove, Fossil 45, 61, 62, 70 

Plaster 58 

Crag, Silver 98 

Custom House, Quebec . . 201 

Dalhousie 25 

De Monts (Pierre du 

Guast) 157, 200 

D6sespoir, Cap (Legends) 

19, 110 
Domaine du Roi 157 

Eagle, Giant 236 

Eboulements, Earthquake 

at 171 

Eboulements, Les 163-188 

Eboulements, Mt 163 

Edict of Louis XIV 29 

Encrinite (Fossil) 70 

Etontontathrons 238 

Faun, Laughing (Profile) . 79 

Fire in Quebec 203 

Fisherman, Superstitions of 

130, 131, 132, 199, 200 
Fishery, White Whale ... 160 

Fossil Cove 45, 61, 62, 70 

Trees 98 

Friend, Treacherous (Le- 
gend) 19 

Fundy, Bay of. .58, 97, 99, 

148, 239 

Garde, Point S^ la 71 

Gasp6 Bay 123, 124 

Canoes 132 

Cape 121, 122 

Peninsula 121 

General Romanoze (Pro- 
file) 78 

G§nie de I'lle Perc6 (Le- 
gend) 128 

Giant's Stairway 231 

Track 232 



PAGE. 

Giant's Well 231 

Glooscap (Indian Giant) 

75, 76, 147, 236 
Gouflfre, La (Whirlpool).. 172 

Gougou (Gorgon) 127 

Gray Lady of the North.. 193 

Great Lakes (Winds) 236 

Guast, Pierre du 157, 200 

Guichet (Wicket) 175 

GuihakspSque (Gaspfe) ... 119 
Gypsum 58 

"Habitans" 5 

Arrangement of Villages 175 

Characteristics 207 

Conservatism 166 

Families 170, 171 

Hay-cart 147 

Houses 12, 175 

Oven 145 

Restrictions of Priests 

205, 207 

Ha-ha Bay 152 

Heron Island. .. .42, 46, 53, 70 

Legend of 53 

Hesknewaska 152 

High Tides 99, 100 

Hochelaga 219 

Indians, Council 239 

French Colonists' Names 

for 239, 240 

Questioning Marquette . 236 

Reservations 26, 234 

Supposition about Aurora 

Borealis 128 

Supposition about Otta- 
wa River 243 

Work 75, 148, 211, 219 

Ireson, Skipper, True Story 

of 40, 41 

Iroquois 240 

Island, Bonaventure 102 

George 227, 228 

Heron 42, 46, 53, 70 

Legend of 53 

Manitoulin 235, 237 



Index. 



251 



PAGE. 

Island (Continued) 

Miscou 126 

Orleans 163 

Partridge 98, 101 

Isle-aux-Coudres 165, 182 

Isle du Massacre 148 

Islets, Les Trois Amis .... 42 

Joggin, South 98 

Joli, Mt 126, 127 

Jotims (Giants).. 122, 126, 

149, 150, 165 

Kabenaw 237 

Kabeyim (West Wind) . . 236 

Katsepion 122 

Kayoshk (Sea-gull) 228 

Keewaydin (Northwest 

Wind) 223, 227 

Ketchinebissing 241 

Kigicapagiae River 27 

Kirke, Captain 124 

" La lumiere perpetuelle " 184 
Lady, Gray, of the North 193 

Lake Huron 223 

Myizowaja 243 

Nipissing 241 

Quinze 243 

Superior 223 

Talon 243 

Lakes, Great , 236 

Lamp, Antique 184 

L'Anse a I'Eau 148 

Laughing Faun (Profile) . 79 

Laurentian Mountains . 226, 230 

Legend, Burning Ship .... 53 

Genie de I'lle Perce, Le 128 

Heron Island 53 

Glooscap .75, 76, 147 

Katsepion 122 

Manitoulin 237, 238 

Mysterious Light 18, 19 

Nenawbozhoo . . .231, 232, 243 

Nipissing 241-243 

Titan's Bride 149, 151 

Treacherous Fi-iend .... 19-21 
" L'escalier de I'annee " . . 195 



PAGK. 

Libraries, Quebec .... 194, 198 

Lily, Sea (Fossil) 70 

Louis XIV 29, 172 

Loup, Riviere du 148 

Lumbering 224, 225 

Mahng (Loon) 228 

Manitoulin Island 237, 238 

Marblehead 199, 230 

Markets 195, 196, 199 

Martin, Abraham 200 

Massacre, L'Isle du 148 

Megouacha Point 5 

Michilimackinac 239 

Micmacs 75 

Miscou Island 126 

Moccasins 210 

Moncton 94 

Money Among Early Set- 
tlers 208 

Mont Blagouse 176 

Montmorency 212 

Monts, De 157, 200 

Moore's Boat Song 217 

Moraine 232 

Moulin 232 

Mt. Eboulements 165 

Ste. Anne (or Joli) .... 127 

St. Antoine 165 

Mountains, Bonhomme ... 201 

Laurentian 226, 230 

Notre Dame 124 

Sliickshoek 123 

Tsounonthouan 201 

Mudjekeewis 236 

Musquakies 239 

Mysterious Light (Legend) 

18, 19 

Nanabojo's Cauldron .... 231 

Lane ' 227 

Road 231 

Naval Battles 71, 124 

Nenawbozhoo 231-234, 242 

Neutrals 26 

New Carlisle 104 

Nicolet, Jean 239 

Nipissing 241 



252 



Index. 



PAGF. 

Noquets 239 

Normandin 158 

jSTorth, Gray, Lady of the 193 
Notre Dame de Bonse- 

eours 165, 184 

Notre Dame Mountains . . 124 

Nouvelle River 48 

Odin of Aborigines 147 

Ojibways 223, 239 

Old Lamp 184 

Old Woman 121 

Orleans Island , . 163 

Ottawa River 243 

Ottawas 223, 237-239 

Parrsboro 99 

Partridge Island 98, 101 

Patroons of New York . 174, 175 

Peninsula, Gasp6 103 

P6re Albanel 158 

Perc6, L'Isle 124-130 

Percys, Nez 239 

Perrot, Nicholas) 238 

Petitcodiac River 94 

Pitchitamiehetz 158 

Plains of Abraham 200 

Plaster Cove 58 

Point a la Garde 71 

L6vis 201 

Megouacha 5 

Profanity Edict 29 

Profile Rocks 78 

Quebec 191-219 

Bells 204, 205 

Boat Song 214-218 

Break-neck Stairs 194 

Caleche 209 

Catala^ughn 197 

Cotelan 197 

Cove-fields Stairway .... 195 

Cove Road 195 

Currency 211 

Electric Lighting 212 

Fire in Lower Town . . . 204 

Fortifications 201, 202 

Guns 201, 202 

Habitans 199, 208 



PAGE. 

Quebec (Continued) 
Legend of De LSvis .... 201 

Libraries 194, 198 

Lions 203 

Markets 196, 199 

Missionaries in Canada . 205 

Sabots 210 

Scandinavian Church . . . 195 

Shipping 200 

Soldiers 208, 209 

St. Anne's 197 

Rainbow Cliff 101 

Red River Rebellion 219 

River, Charlo 49 

Grand 55 

Nouvelle 48 

Restigouche '6 

St. Lawrence — 149, 154, 

163, 167, 168, 169, 172 

Rivi6re-du-Loup 148 

Road, Corduroy 25 

Roberval 149 

Rock, Arched 61 

Rocks, Profile 78, 82 

Rocher, Perc6, Le .... 125, 126 

Rouge 227 

Roquis 239 

Roulante, Table 127 

Saguenay 148-160 

Sails, Tanned 228 

St. Lawrence River . . . 149, 

154, 163, 167, 168, 169, 172 
Salmon Fishing, Flies, etc. 

16, 17 

Saulteurs 239 

Seigneurial System 172-175 

Shickshock Moimtains . . . 123 

Silver Crag 98 

Songs, " Canadian Boat 

Song" 214-218 

" Aurai-je Nanette ? " 

105, 106 

" C6cilia " 187, 188 

"J'ai Trop Grand Peur 

des Loups" 216, 217 

" La Claire Fontaine " . . 215 



Index. 



253 



PAGE. 

Songs {Continued) 

" Le Rossignol " 47, 4S 

" Les Beaux Yeux " . 138, 139 
" Les Paries et les 

Etoiles " 186, 187 

" Les Yeux Bleus " . . .22, 23 

Souriquois 76 

Sugaries 25 

Superior, Lake 223 

Superstitions, Fishermen's 

130, 131, 132, 199, 200 

Tadousac 158 

Tehibaononing 226 

Terra Alba 58 

Thirteen Theory 191 

Thunder, Yellow 237, 238 



PAGE. 

Timber 224, 225 

Tortoise Tribe 240 

Tracadiegache, Mt. . . 5, 26, 

29, 45 
Tsounonthouan Mountains 201 

Vasistas 175 

Veille, La 121 

Wabun 226 

Wikwemikong 235 

Wind-Blower 236 

Winds, Father of 226 

Winnebagos 238 

Wolseley, Lord 219 

Work of Indians and Habi- 

tans 123 



AUG 1 f: 



AUG I 5 1902 



i302 
20 1902 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 431936 9 % 



